At the school fete Miss Bradys class sold necklaces that they had made in art class.

There
were three types of necklaces; small, medium and large. At the end of the day Miss Brady
calculated the number of sales and found out that 36 necklaces were sold and a total of
$290.20 was made. How many of each necklace were sold if three times as many smalls than
mediums and half as many larges as mediums? Show all working.

Let s = the number of small necklaces

Let m = the number of medium necklaces
Let l = the number of large necklaces
From the information given we know that:
Small (s) = 3m
Medium (m) = 2l or 2 x 0.5m ( l= 0.5m)
Large (l) =

m
2

or 0.5m

A total of 36 necklaces were sold therefore the addition of the small, medium and large
necklaces must equal 36.
The rule created to solve this equation is:
3m +2x 0.5m +0.5m = 36

The common variable is m. Therefore we need to solve m using the equation above.
3m + 2 x 0.5m + 0.5m = 36
3m + 1m + 0.5m = 36
4.5m = 36
4.5m 4.5 = 36 4.5
Therefore m= 8

Now that we have worked out that m= 8 we can now use this to work out how many
necklaces of each size were sold.
No. of small necklaces sold (s) = 3m
=3x8
= 24 small necklaces
No. of medium necklaces sold (m) = 2l
= 2 x 0.5m
= 1m
=1x8
= 8 medium necklaces
No. of large necklaces sold (l) = 0.5m
= 0.5 x 8
= 4 large necklaces

Therefore the class sold 24 small necklaces, 8 medium necklaces and 4 large necklaces.
Check:
24 + 8 + 4 = 36
Therefore the answer is correct.

Extension Question
Look up the Diagram below to answer:

Draw up a table showing number of links and number of beads used.

Number 1
of Links
Number 8
of Beads

10

11

13

18

23

28

33

38

43

48

53

58

Using your knowledge of algebra select pronumerals for the two variables and express the
rule in algebraic form.
Links = x

Beads = y
No. of beads = 5 x + 3
Y=5x+3

Calculate from the rule the number of beads needed to create each necklace. Each size
requires the following number of links; Small: 15 links, Medium: 28 links, Large: 46 links.
Number of Beads for Small Necklace = 5x + 3
= 5 x 15 + 3
= 78 beads

Number of Beads for Medium Necklace = 5 x + 3

= 5 x 28 + 3
= 143 beads

Number of Beads for Large Necklace = 5 x + 3

= 5 x 46 + 3
= 233 beads

Find by substitution how many links can be made with 867 beads?
Use the same rule as the previous question to work out the value of x.
y = 5x + 3
867 = 5x + 3
867 3 = 5x
864 5 = 5x 5
172.8 = x
It is impossible to have 0.8 of a link. Therefore the answer needs to be rounded down.
Therefore x = 172 links
As shown, 172 links can be made with 867 beads.

Questions
-

What variables can be substituted into to represent small, medium and large?
What equation can we use to solve this problem?
Can we change the equation so that there is a common variable?
After working out how many necklaces of each size were solved, ask yourself
whether your answer is correct? Re-read the problem and see if your calculations fit.
Does your answer add up to 36?