Final answer:
To make the specific shade of orange paint, Katie needs to mix 3 cups of yellow paint and 4 cups of red paint. Using the ratio of yellow to red paint given, we can calculate that she can make 4.5 cups of orange paint.
Step-by-step explanation:
To solve the problem, we need to use the information given to determine the ratio of yellow to red paint required to make the specific shade of orange.
The shade of orange paint calls for 2 parts yellow and 3 parts red. This means that for every 2 units of yellow paint, we need 3 units of red paint.
Katie uses 3 cups of yellow paint and 4 cups of red paint. To find out how much orange paint she can make, we can set up a ratio:
Yellow: 3 cups = Red: 4 cups = Orange: x cups
Since the ratio of yellow to red paint is 2:3, we can use this ratio to find the amount of orange paint:
x = (3 cups * 3) / 2
= 9/2 cups
= 4.5 cups
Therefore, Katie can make 4.5 cups of orange paint using 3 cups of yellow paint and 4 cups of red paint.