Tammy had 378 beads. ²₇ were brown and the rest were pink and silver. The ratio of the number of pink beads to the number of silver beads was 1 : 5. Tammy decided to buy some more brown beads to increase the number of brown beads to half of the total number of beads.

1. How many less pink beads than brown beads did he have at first?
2. How many more brown beads did he have to buy?

Brown beads	Pink beads	Silver beads	Total
2x6	5x6
	1x5	5x5
12 u	5 u	25 u	378

	Brown beads	Pink beads	Silver beads
Before	12 u	5 u	25 u
Change	+ ?
After	30 u	30 u
Comparing brown, pink and silver beads in the end	1	1

(a)
The total number of pink beads and silver beads is repeated. Make the total number of pink beads and silver beads the same.  LCM of 5 and 6 is 30.

Total number of beads at first
= 12 u + 5 u + 25 u
= 42 u

42 u = 378

1 u = 378 ÷ 42 = 9

Number of less pink beads than brown beads at first
= 12 u - 5 u
= 7 u
= 7 x 9
= 63

(b)
Number of more brown beads that Tammy had to buy
= 30 u - 12 u
= 18 u
= 18 x 9
= 162

Answer(s): (a) 63; (b) 162