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A 2 by 3 rectangle contains 8 squares. A 3 by 4 rectangle contains 20 squares. A 4 by 6 rectangle contains 50 squares. What size rectangle contains exactly 100 squares? Is there more than one? Can you find them all? Can you prove there are no more?

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Answer:

The rectangles that have exactly 100 squares are 1 by 100 4 by 11 and 5 by 8

Explanation:

The given parameters are;

A 2 by 3 rectangle contains 8 squares

A 3 by 4 rectangle contains 20 squares

A 4 by 6 rectangle contains 50 squares

We note that the number of squares varies proportionately to the increase in the dimension of the rectangle, that is we have;

2 by 3 rectangle contains 8 squares

3 by 4 rectangle contains 20 squares increase by 12 = 3 × 4

4 by 5 rectangle contains 40 squares increase by 20 = 4 × 5

The number of squares formed can therefore be arranged in a matrix as follows(please see attached matrix);

Column, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11

Row

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

It will be observed that after reaching a point where the row and column are equal, (x, x) the rate of increase in the number of squares become constant and equal to x × ((x - 1) × 0.5) + 1) = x × (x + 1)/2

From the matrix, the rectangles that have exactly 100 squares are 1 by 100 4 by 11 and 5 by 8 and there are no more as presented in the attached matrix, the number of squares formed keeps increasing for each column and row added.

A 2 by 3 rectangle contains 8 squares. A 3 by 4 rectangle contains 20 squares. A 4 by-example-1
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