Question

The time, T (seconds), it takes for a pot of water to boil is proportional to the amount, A (litres), of water. It takes 320 seconds to boil 2.6 litres of water. Work out how long it takes (to the nearest second) to boil 2.2 litres.

Answer 1

To solve this problem, we need to find the proportionality factor, which is the ratio of the time taken to boil the water to the volume of water.

First, we use the given information that it takes 320 seconds to boil 2.6 litres of water. Thus, divide the time (320 seconds) by the volume (2.6 litres) to get the proportionality factor:

320/2.6 = 123.07692307692307 (let's call this factor P).

This means that for every one litre of water, it takes approximately 123.08 seconds to boil.

To find out how long it takes to boil 2.2 litres of water, multiply the volume of the new amount of water (2.2 litres) by the proportionality factor (P).

So, Time to boil 2.2 litres = P * 2.2 = 123.07692307692307 * 2.2 = 270.7692307692307 seconds.

Since the problem asks for the time to the nearest second, round this result to the nearest whole number, we get approximately 271 seconds.

So, it would take about 271 seconds to boil 2.2 litres of water.