Mr. Howard has three pieces of thread of length 50 cm, 60 cm and 90 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 50: 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50
Factors of 60:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20, 30, 60
Factors of 90:1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 9, 10, 15, 18, 30, 45, 90
The highest common factor of 50, 60 and 90 is 10.
Greatest possible length of each smaller piece of thread = 10 cm
(b)
Total length of thread
= 60 + 90 + 50
= 200 cm
Number of smaller pieces
= 200 ÷ 10
= 20
Answer(s): 10 cm; (b) 20