Chapter 5.1, Problem 49MS

Here we celebrate the power of algebra as a powerful way of finding unknown quantities by naming them, of expressing infinitely many relationships and connections clearly and succinctly, and of uncovering pattern and structure.

Holey snowflakes. Your little brother likes to make paper snowflakes by folding white paper and cutting lots of holes. He was very busy one January afternoon and made 60 snowflakes. Twenty percent have 16 holes, 25% have 18 holes, 30% have 15 holes, and the rest have 12 holes. Determine how many snowflakes he has of each type.