Lee had 192 stickers. ³₄ were brown and the rest were red and blue. The ratio of the number of red stickers to the number of blue stickers was 1 : 3. Lee decided to give away some brown stickers to decrease the number of brown stickers to half of the total number of stickers.

1. How many more brown stickers than red stickers did he have at first?
2. How many brown stickers did he have to give away?

Brown stickers	Red stickers	Blue stickers	Total
3x4	1x4
	1x1	3x1
12 u	1 u	3 u	192

	Brown stickers	Red stickers	Blue stickers
Before	12 u	1 u	3 u
Change	- ?
After	4 u	4 u
Comparing brown, red and blue stickers in the end	1	1

(a)
The total number of red stickers and blue stickers is repeated. Make the total number of red stickers and blue stickers the same.  LCM of 1 and 4 is 4.

Total number of stickers at first
= 12 u + 1 u + 3 u
= 16 u

16 u = 192

1 u = 192 ÷ 16 = 12

Number of more brown stickers than red stickers at first
= 12 u - 1 u
= 11 u
= 11 x 12
= 132

(b)
Number of more brown stickers that Lee had to give away
= 12 u - 4 u
= 8 u
= 8 x 12
= 96

Answer(s): (a) 132; (b) 96