1. **State the problem:** Julia used 36 cups to make her pyramid. Tayson's pyramid has 15 fewer cups than Julia's. We need to find how many cups Tayson used. 2. **Define the variable:** Let $c$ represent the number of cups Tayson used. 3. **Write the equation:** Since Tayson has 15 fewer cups than Julia, we write: $$c = 36 - 15$$ 4. **Solve the equation:** $$c = \cancel{36} - \cancel{15} = 21$$ 5. **Answer:** Tayson used 21 cups to make his pyramid. --- 1. **State the problem:** Julia's pyramid has 8 layers and is 34 inches tall. We want to find the height of each layer. 2. **Define the variable:** Let $h$ be the height of one layer in inches. 3. **Write the equation:** Total height equals number of layers times height per layer: $$8h = 34$$ 4. **Solve the equation:** $$h = \frac{34}{8} = \frac{\cancel{34}}{\cancel{8}} = 4.25$$ 5. **Answer:** Each layer is 4.25 inches tall.