Mr. Vincent has three pieces of thread of length 125 cm, 225 cm and 250 cm. He wishes to cut the three pieces of thread into smaller pieces of equal length with no remainder.
- What is the greatest possible length of each of the smaller pieces of thread?
- How many of the smaller pieces of thread of equal length can he get?
(a)
Factors of 125: 1, 5, 25, 125
Factors of 225:1, 3, 5, 9, 15, 25, 45, 75, 225
Factors of 250:1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 125, 250
The highest common factor of 125, 225 and 250 is 25.
Greatest possible length of each smaller piece of thread = 25 cm
(b)
Total length of thread
= 225 + 250 + 125
= 600 cm
Number of smaller pieces
= 600 ÷ 25
= 24
Answer(s): 25 cm; (b) 24