A square board that has an area of 25 square inches is to be cut into pieces, each of which is a square with sides of

[M7MBA]

A square board that has an area of 25 square inches is to be cut into pieces, each of which is a square with sides of length 1, 2, or 3 inches. What is the least number of such square pieces into which the board can be cut?

A. 5
B. 6
C. 7
D. 8
E. 9

Answer: D

Source: GMAT Paper Tests

[Scott@TargetTestPrep]

A square board that has an area of 25 square inches is to be cut into pieces, each of which is a square with sides of length 1, 2, or 3 inches. What is the least number of such square pieces into which the board can be cut?

A. 5
B. 6
C. 7
D. 8
E. 9

Answer: D

Source: GMAT Paper Tests

Solution:

As we can see from the above, we can cut into one 3-inch square, three 2-inch squares and four 1-inch squares. Therefore, the least number of square pieces is 1 + 3 + 4 = 8.

Answer: D