Chapter 4.3, Problem 22P

A roll of wrapping paper is 30 inches wide. When you unroll the wrapping paper and cut off a portion, you get a rectangular piece of wrapping paper that is 30 inches wide and can have various lengths. The wrapping paper has a design of stars on it. If you were to subdivide the paper into 2-inch-by-2-inch squares, each such square would have 25 stars on it. Use this information about the wrapping paper in parts (a), (b), and (c).

a. How long a piece of the wrapping paper would you need to get at least 1000 stars? Explain your reasoning.

b. How long a piece of the wrapping paper would you need to get at least 1,000,000 stars? Explain your reasoning. Realistically, could this length come from a single roll of wrapping paper? Why or why not?

c. How long a piece of the wrapping paper would you need to get 1,000,000,000 stars? Explain your reasoning. If you had this length of wrapping paper and you wanted to show it to the children in your class, could you roll it out in the school yard? Why or why not?