George found that he blinked 85 times in 15 minutes. at this rate, how many seconds passed during 51 blinks

540 seconds, because this is just a proportion. You find the number of seconds in 15 mins, which is 900 seconds, then you do 85 blinks/900 seconds = 51 blinks/? seconds. You cross multiply and get 45,900=85x. You divide each by 85 to get x=540.

1 min = 60 seconds, so
15 min = 15 x 60 seconds = 900 seconds
85 blinks in 900 seconds
900/85 = 10.58 seconds per one blink (this number is rounded, but final answer is exact)
10.58 x 51 = 540 seconds for 51 blinks