Question

PLEASE HELP!!!!

A candle is 17 in. tall after burning for 3 hours. After 5 hours, it is 15 in. tall. Write a linear equation to model the relationship between height h of the candle and time t

Answer 1

A linear equation has the form y=mx + b where y is the dependant variable, x is the independent variable, m is the slope, and b is the y-intercept
Let's change the variables to suit our situation.
h = mt + b
where h is the height and t is the time.
Let's look at our two points given. I'll write it like (t,h)
(3hrs, 17in)
(5hr, 15in)
Now let's plug those equations back into the h = mt + b
\[17 = m*3 + b\]
\[15 = m*5 + b\]
Now we have a system of two equations and two unknowns. Solve for m and b.
Once you get m, the slope, and b, the h-intercept, you can plug it back into the linear equation.
h = mt + b.
Voila, there's your equation

Answer 2

I'm still confused. I see what you did, but is h = mt+b the equation?