Because the ropes burn at inconsistent rates, you can’t simply measure 75 percent of the way down one rope and call that 45 minutes. The rope might burn slightly faster or slower in that last 25 percent. However, if you light one of the ropes on fire at both ends at the same time, it will burn up in 30 minutes, even if one side burns faster than the other.

So here’s what you do: Light one of the ropes on fire on both ends and light the second rope on one end at the same time. When the first rope burns out, 30 minutes have elapsed. At that exact moment, you light the unlit end of the second rope.

Because 30 minutes of the second rope have already been used up, 30 more remain (though this does not necessarily mean that half of the rope’s length has been burned, it could be more or less). Lighting the other end at the moment the first rope burns up will cause the remaining part of the second rope to burn up in 15 minutes. Once the second rope has been consumed by the flames, exactly 45 minutes have passed.