A pom-pom manufacturer makes each of its pom-poms with 35% white strands (w), 25% blue strands (b), and 40% red strands (r). If each pom-pom has a total of 80 strands, how many of strands of each color are needed to make a pair of pom-poms? In this activity, you’ll work through this pom-pom problem step by step. Part A

Write a proportion for the number of strands in each color to find how many strands are needed to make one pom-pom.

white strands: = blue strands: = red strands: =

Part B

Solve for w, b, and r using the proportions from part A. Show your work.

Part C

How many strands of each color are required to make a pair of pom-poms? Use the values you found in part B for w, b, and r. Show your work.

Part D

You can solve the problem in part C using a different method. To set up this method, first find the total number of strands required to make a pair of pom-poms.

Part E

Now solve for w, b, and r for a pair of pom-poms using the total number of strands you found in part D. Solve three proportions similar to the work you did in Part B. Show your calculations.

Part F

Did you get the same answer in parts C and E?