To find the change in temperature over the three hours from 9 a.m. to noon, we can set up an equation based on the initial temperature and the final temperature.
Let:
- \( T_{\text{initial}} = -5.8 \) degrees Celsius (temperature at 9 a.m.)
- \( T_{\text{final}} = -1.6 \) degrees Celsius (temperature at noon)
The change in temperature (\( \Delta T \)) can be calculated using the following equation:
\[ \Delta T = T_{\text{final}} - T_{\text{initial}} \]
Now we can substitute the values into the equation:
\[ \Delta T = -1.6 - (-5.8) \]
This simplifies to:
\[ \Delta T = -1.6 + 5.8 \]
Calculating this gives:
\[ \Delta T = 4.2 \]
So, the change in temperature over those three hours is \( 4.2 \) degrees Celsius.
Explanation of the Answer:
This means that the temperature increased by \( 4.2 \) degrees Celsius from 9 a.m. to noon. Initially, the temperature was quite cold at \( -5.8 \) degrees Celsius, and by noon, it had risen to \( -1.6 \) degrees Celsius. Thus, we can conclude that there was a notable warming trend in the air temperature during this time period.