if it takes 40 seconds to cut a 10-inch by 10 inch square cake into 2 inch by 2 inch pieces, how many seconds will it take to cut a 12 inch by 12 inch square cake into 2 inch by 2 inch pieces

The 10x10 cake is 5x5 pieces, so it takes 4+4=8 cuts to do the job.

That is 5 seconds per cut.

The 12x12 cake is 6x6 pieces, so it will take 5+5=10 cuts, or 50 seconds.

Assuming a 12" cut can be made in the same time as a 10" cut!

To find out how long it will take to cut a 12-inch by 12-inch square cake into 2-inch by 2-inch pieces, we can compare the dimensions of the two cakes and calculate the difference in area.

The original cake is a 10-inch by 10-inch square, which means it has an area of 10 inches multiplied by 10 inches, which equals 100 square inches.

The new cake is a 12-inch by 12-inch square, with an area of 12 inches multiplied by 12 inches, which equals 144 square inches.

Now, we need to determine the ratio between the areas of the two cakes. The area of the new cake is 144 square inches, while the area of the original cake is 100 square inches. Therefore, the new cake is 144/100 = 1.44 times larger.

Since it takes 40 seconds to cut the original cake into 2-inch by 2-inch pieces, we need to multiply this time by the ratio to determine how long it will take to cut the larger cake.

40 seconds * 1.44 = 57.6 seconds

Therefore, it will take approximately 57.6 seconds to cut a 12-inch by 12-inch square cake into 2-inch by 2-inch pieces.