To find the rate of change of the number of items packed in relation to the number of minutes, we can calculate the change in the number of items packed divided by the change in the time taken (in minutes).
Looking at the points provided from the table:
- Calculate the rate of change between each pair of data points.
From 4 minutes to 6 minutes:
- Change in items: 26 - 20 = 6
- Change in time: 6 - 4 = 2
- Rate of change = \( \frac{6}{2} = 3 \) items per minute
From 6 minutes to 12 minutes:
- Change in items: 44 - 26 = 18
- Change in time: 12 - 6 = 6
- Rate of change = \( \frac{18}{6} = 3 \) items per minute
From 12 minutes to 14 minutes:
- Change in items: 50 - 44 = 6
- Change in time: 14 - 12 = 2
- Rate of change = \( \frac{6}{2} = 3 \) items per minute
The rate of change is consistent at 3 items per minute across all intervals.
Therefore, the statement that describes the rate of change of the number of items the worker packed in boxes for the number of minutes the worker has been packing items is that the worker packs items at a constant rate of 3 items per minute.