To determine the number of candles that will fit around the edge of the cake, we need to calculate the perimeter of the cake. The perimeter of a rectangle is found by adding up the length of all its sides.
In this case, the cake is 10 inches long and 6 inches wide. So, the length of the top and bottom sides is 10 inches, and the length of the left and right sides is 6 inches each.
To find the perimeter, we add up all the sides:
Perimeter = Length of top side + Length of bottom side + Length of left side + Length of right side
Perimeter = 10 inches + 10 inches + 6 inches + 6 inches
Perimeter = 32 inches
Since the candles are placed every 2 inches, we can divide the perimeter by 2 to get the number of candles that will fit around the edge:
Number of candles = Perimeter / Distance between candles
Number of candles = 32 inches / 2 inches
Number of candles = 16
Therefore, 16 candles will fit around the edge of the cake.