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Expert: Sherry Wallin - 9/26/2011


Question
Hey Sherry i hope you don't mind me asking this ok well here it is... Cameron is making bead necklaces.He has 90 green beads and 108 blue beads. What is the greatest number of identical necklaces he can make if he wants to use all of the beads?

Answer
Jonathan~

You will want to find the GCF of 90 and 108. One way to do it is to prime factor each number:
90 = 2*3^2*5
108 = 2^2*3^3
Now take each factor that occurs in both numbers the least number of times. i.e., 2*3^2 = 18. Each bracelet will have 5 green beads and 6 blue beads for a total of 18 bracelets.

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Sherry Wallin

Expertise

I can answer most questions up through Calculus and some in Number Theory and Abstract Algebra.

Experience

I have had my Bachelor's Degree since 1987 and have been a teacher since 1988. I earned my Masters Degree in Mathematics May 2010. I have been teaching at the same community college since 2002.

Education/Credentials
I have taught 12 years at the community college level, medical college, and technical college as well as a high school instructor and alternative education instructor and charter school instructor.

Awards and Honors
Master's GPA 3.56 Bachelor's GPA 3.34 Post grad work not degree related GPA 4.0

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