Answer: 12 squares.
Explanation:
We have two lenghts, 108in and 144in, and we want to divide it in squares (remember that the squares have the same lenght in both sides)
So we need to find a common factor between 108 and 144, and if we want to find the minimum number of squares used, we need to find the bigger common factor betwen those two numbers (if we use bugher lengths for the square sides, we will use less squares) To find it we chose the smaller number and we divide it by 2
108/2 = 54
This number divides the other?
144/54 = 2.66 is not a integer number, so 54 is not a common factor.
now we try with 108/3 = 36
and we try:
144/36 = 4
So 36 is a common factor
And we have:
144/36 = 4
108/36 = 3
so the total number of squares is 4*3 = 12