High School

Suppose that the height (in centimeters) of a candle is a linear function of the amount of time (in hours) it has been burning. After 13 hours of burning, a candle has a height of 20.8 centimeters. After 29 hours of burning, its height is 14.4 centimeters.

What is the height of the candle after 20 hours?

Answer :

Final answer:

To find the height of the candle after 20 hours, we can use the given information to set up a linear equation and solve for the height. The height of the candle after 20 hours is 18.4 centimeters.

Explanation:

To find the height of the candle after 20 hours, we can use the given information to set up a linear equation. First, we need to determine the rate at which the height is changing. We subtract the height after 13 hours from the height after 29 hours and divide it by the difference in time. This gives us the rate of change as -0.4 cm/hour. Using this rate, we can set up the equation h = mt + b, where h is the height, t is the time, m is the rate of change, and b is the initial height. Plugging in the values for the height after 13 hours and the rate of change, we can solve for the initial height. Then, we can substitute in 20 for t and solve for the height after 20 hours. The height of the candle after 20 hours is 18.4 centimeters.

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