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

Answer 1

To find the rate of change in the plane's altitude, we need to calculate the altitude change per unit of time.

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

First, convert 3.5 minutes into hours for easier calculation since speeds are often represented in feet per minute. However, we will keep it in minutes for simplicity:

Rate of descent = Change in altitude / Time
Rate of descent = 4,000 feet / 3.5 minutes

Now perform the division:

Rate of descent = 4,000 feet ÷ 3.5 minutes ≈ 1,142.86 feet/minute

Thus, the rate of change in the plane’s altitude while descending is approximately **1,142.86 feet/minute** (to the nearest hundredth).

Since the plane is descending, we can represent this as a negative rate of change: **-1,142.86 feet/minute**.