There have been about two years before the birth of Christ for every 3 years of history in all. If 4,000 years passed before Christ's birth, what is the total number of years in history?
(Years BC)/(Years AD + Years BC) = 2/3
4000 y = (2/3)(Years AD + Years BC)
6000 y = (Years AD + Years BC)
= Total history
Could you please explain that further? I don't understand.
So... 4,00 yrs is B.C. and 4,00 must be 2/3 of total history, so total history is 6,000 years? Did I do that right?
I meant "4,000 yrs is B.C. and 4,000 must be 2/3 of total history"
Yes, you are on the right track! Let's break it down step by step.
We are given the information that there have been about two years before the birth of Christ for every three years of history in all. This can be represented as:
(Years BC) / (Years AD + Years BC) = 2/3
Next, we are told that 4,000 years passed before Christ's birth. We can substitute Years BC with 4,000 and solve for the total number of years in history.
4,000 years BC = (2/3)(Years AD + Years BC)
To find the total years in history, we need to isolate the Years AD + Years BC on one side of the equation. Multiply both sides of the equation by 3/2 to cancel out the fraction:
(3/2) * 4,000 years BC = (3/2) * (2/3) * (Years AD + Years BC)
6,000 years BC = Years AD + Years BC
So, the total number of years in history is 6,000 years.
In other words, if there were 4,000 years before Christ's birth, and this is 2/3 of the total history, then the total history must be 6,000 years in order to satisfy the given ratio.
I hope this clarifies it for you! Let me know if you have any further questions.