Question

Question

A pilot is flying an airplane. Due to strong winds, the pilot decides to fly 4,000 feet lower to avoid excessive turbulence. It takes the pilot 3.5 minutes to make this adjustment. Interpret the quotient to describe the rate of change in the plane’s altitude. Give your answer to the nearest hundredth, and remember the plane is descending.(1 point)
The quotient that best represents the rate of change in the plane’s altitude is
feet/minute.

Answer 1

To find the rate of change in the plane’s altitude, we need to divide the change in altitude by the time taken to make that change.

The pilot descends 4,000 feet over a duration of 3.5 minutes.

We calculate the rate of descent as follows:

$$\text{Rate of descent}=\frac{\text{Change in altitude}}{\text{Time}}=\frac{-4000\text{ feet}}{3.5\text{ minutes}}$$

Calculating the above expression:

$$\text{Rate of descent}=\frac{-4000}{3.5}\approx -1142.8571\text{ feet/minute}$$

Now we round this to the nearest hundredth:

$$\text{Rate of descent}\approx -1142.86\text{ feet/minute}$$

Thus, the quotient that best represents the rate of change in the plane’s altitude is

$$-1142.86\text{ feet/minute}$$

Since the plane is descending, the negative sign indicates a decrease in altitude.