Question

two candles of the same height are lit at the same times. one burns down in 5 hours while the other burns down in 3 hours. after how many hours will the first candle be three times the height of the second?

Answer 1

To solve this problem, set up a proportion between the height of the two candles and their burning rates. The first candle will be three times the height of the second candle after 1 hour.

Step-by-step explanation:

To solve this problem, we can set up a proportion between the height of the two candles and the time it takes for each candle to burn. Let's assume the height of both candles is h. The first candle burns down in 5 hours, so its burning rate is h/5. The second candle burns down in 3 hours, so its burning rate is h/3.

Let x be the number of hours it takes for the first candle to be three times the height of the second candle. The burning rate of the first candle is h/x, and the burning rate of the second candle is h/3. We can set up the proportion:

h/x = 3(h/3)

Simplifying the equation:

h/x = h

Dividing both sides by h:

1/x = 1

Cross-multiplying:

x = 1

Therefore, it will take 1 hour for the first candle to be three times the height of the second candle.