Question

Use the image to answer the question. The graph shows the elevation of a deep-sea diver in relation to minutes passed. Using any two points on the graph, what is the rate of change in the diver’s elevation? (1 point) feet per minute

Answer 1

To calculate the rate of change in the diver's elevation using two points on the graph, you can use the formula for the slope, which is:

\[
\text{Rate of Change} = \frac{\text{Change in Elevation}}{\text{Change in Time}} = \frac{y_2 - y_1}{x_2 - x_1}
\]

1. Identify two points on the graph. For example, let’s assume the two points are \( (3, 10) \) and \( (5, -20) \). Here, \( x \) represents the time in minutes and \( y \) represents the elevation in feet.

2. Plug in the values for the two points into the formula:

- Point 1 (3 minutes): \( (3, 10) \)
- Point 2 (5 minutes): \( (5, -20) \)

3. Calculate the changes:
- Change in Elevation: \( -20 - 10 = -30 \) feet
- Change in Time: \( 5 - 3 = 2 \) minutes

4. Now substitute the changes into the rate of change formula:

\[
\text{Rate of Change} = \frac{-30}{2} = -15 \text{ feet per minute}
\]

Thus, the rate of change in the diver’s elevation is \(-15\) feet per minute.