Question: Blinky wants to make a three-layer birthday cake for her mom. The recipe for the smallest layer of the cake requires 2 cups of sugar. If the second layer is twice as big as the first and the third layer is three times larger than the second, how many total cups of sugar will she need for the third layer? Think carefully first, then make a decision:
Since the second layer is twice as big as the first, then it requires 2 * 2 = 4 cups of sugar. Since the third layer is three times bigger than the second, then it requires 4 * 3 = 12 cups of sugar. So the answer is 12.