Puzzle | Measuring 45 Minutes with Two Burning Wires (original) (raw)

Last Updated : 4 Sep, 2025

How do we measure forty-five minutes using two identical wires, each of which takes an hour to burn? We have matchsticks with us. The wires burn non-uniformly. For example, the two halves of the wire might burn in 10 minutes and 50 minutes, respectively.

Puzzle 1 | (How to Measure 45 minutes using two identical wires?)

Check if you were right - full answer with solution below.

**Solution: If we light a wire, it takes 60 minutes to burn completely. What if we light the wire from both sides? It will take exactly half the original time, i.e. 30 minutes to burn completely.

• **0 minutes – Light wire 1 on both sides and wire 2 on one side.

Puzzle 1 | (How to Measure 45 minutes using two identical wires?)

• **30 minutes – wire 1 will be burnt out. Light the other end of the wire 2.

Puzzle 1 | (How to Measure 45 minutes using two identical wires?)

• **45 minutes – wire 2 will be burnt out. Thus 45 minutes is completely measured.