Final answer:
The student wants two-thirds of last week's cupcake order of 15, which is calculated as 15 × ⅓, resulting in 10 cupcakes for the current order. The value of c is therefore 10.
Step-by-step explanation:
If the student ordered 15 cupcakes last week and today they want only two-thirds as many, we can calculate the number of cupcakes needed by multiplying 15 by two-thirds. Mathematically, this can be expressed as 15 × ⅓, which equals 10. The number c in this scenario would therefore be 10, because it represents the quantity of cupcakes desired today.
To understand fractions better, it is often helpful to relate them to common experiences, such as the fraction of a pie or the number of quarters in a dollar. If you are making a recipe and you know the proportions, like the fact that one batch of pancakes requires 2 cups of pancake mix, 1 egg, and ½ cup of milk, then you can scale these amounts based on how much you are making. Similarly, the student is scaling down their cupcake order by applying the two-thirds factor.