To maintain the proportional relationship of 7 parts yellow to 4 parts red, we need to determine how many quarts of yellow should be used for every 18 quarts of red.
First, find the ratio of yellow to red in the proportional relationship, which is 7:4.
Since the customer purchased 18 quarts of red, you need to calculate how many quarts of yellow would be needed to maintain the same ratio.
Set up a proportion:
(Quarts of yellow) / 18 quarts = 7/4
Cross-multiply to solve for the quarts of yellow:
Quarts of yellow = (7/4) * 18 quarts
Quarts of yellow = 31.5 quarts
So, they will need 31.5 quarts of yellow to maintain the proportional relationship of 7 parts yellow to 4 parts red when the customer purchases 18 quarts of red paint. Since you can't have a fraction of a quart, you would typically round up to the nearest whole quart. In this case, you'd need 32 quarts of yellow.