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? Give the rationale and then the answer.
Let's think step by step. 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.. The answer is: 12.

Michael is stuck in an elevator that is slowly moving to the bottom floor. The elevator needs to move down 20 floors to reach the bottom. It takes 15 minutes for the elevator to travel down the first half of the floors. The elevator then takes 5 minutes per floor to travel down the next 5 floors. It then takes 16 minutes per floor for the elevator to finish traveling down the final 5 floors. In hours, how long did it take for the elevator to reach the bottom? Give the rationale and then the answer.
Let's think step by step. Over 5 of the floors, it takes the elevator 5 floors * 5 minutes per floor = 25 minutes to lower. Over the final 5 floors, it takes the elevator 5 floors * 16 minutes per floor = 80 minutes to lower. So in total, the elevator takes 15 minutes in the first half + 25 minutes in the next five floors + 80 minutes in the final five floors = 120 minutes to lower to the bottom. This is the same as 120 minutes / 60 minutes per hour = 2 hours.. The answer is: 2.

A factory produced televisions at a constant rate of 10 per day in a certain year. If they reduced the total production by 10 percent in the second year, calculate the total production of television by the factory in the second year. Give the rationale and then the answer.
Let's think step by step. Since a year has 365 days, the total television production in the first year is 10 * 365 = 3650. In the second year, they reduced the total television production by 10 / 100 * 3650 = 365. The total television production in the second year was 3650 - 365 = 3285.. The answer is: 3285.