Jonah is making candles to give his teacher and principal on the last day of school. For his teacher's candle, Jonah melts 4 ounces of white wax and 12 ounces of blue wax together and pours them into a large mold. For his principal's candle, he melts 2 ounces of white wax and 6 ounces of blue wax together and pours them into a small mold. Which candle is a lighter shade of blue?

Question

A. His teacher's candle is a lighter shade of blue.
B. His principal's candle is a lighter shade of blue.
C. Neither. The candles are the same shade of blue.

Answer 1

To determine which candle is a lighter shade of blue, we need to compare the ratios of blue wax to the total amount of wax for each candle.

For Jonah's teacher's candle:

• White wax: 4 ounces
• Blue wax: 12 ounces
• Total wax: 4 + 12 = 16 ounces

The ratio of blue wax to total wax for the teacher's candle is: \[ \frac{12 \text{ ounces blue}}{16 \text{ ounces total}} = \frac{12}{16} = \frac{3}{4} \text{ or } 0.75 \]

For Jonah's principal's candle:

• White wax: 2 ounces
• Blue wax: 6 ounces
• Total wax: 2 + 6 = 8 ounces

The ratio of blue wax to total wax for the principal's candle is: \[ \frac{6 \text{ ounces blue}}{8 \text{ ounces total}} = \frac{6}{8} = \frac{3}{4} \text{ or } 0.75 \]

Since both candles have the same ratio of blue wax to total wax (0.75), they will have the same shade of blue.

Therefore, the answer is: C. Neither. The candles are the same shade of blue.