You have two wicks and a box of matches. Both wicks burn for 30 minutes each, but they burn irregularly, i.e., any partial amount of wick that burned says nothing about the amount of time that passed. How do you measure 45 minutes?

Question

turingtest · Answer

I have this same problem in meta-math.

anonymous · Answer

What is meta-math ?

turingtest · Answer

a section with higher level or irregular problems

turingtest · Answer

actually it may be different, but it's hard to see how.

zarkon · Answer

burn a wick from both ends?

turingtest · Answer

right, that's the one I know

paxpolaris · Answer

Light Wick-1 on on end. When it has  finished burning light Wick-2 on both ends

anonymous · Answer

But what does they burn irregularly mean ?

turingtest · Answer

That is the only thing that is different from the problem as I know it as well.

zarkon · Answer

I take it to mean that some times the wick burns fast and sometimes slow...up overall it takes 30 mins

zarkon · Answer

it is not at a constant rate

paxpolaris · Answer

yes...You can't cut a wick in half and expect it to burn for 15 minutes

turingtest · Answer

right so it doesn't matter as long as you burn the whole thing
that's what I figured at first, then wondered.

anonymous · Answer

Thanks everyone..