The weight, w, of a baby elephant is shown in the table, where t is the number of weeks of growth.

t (in weeks) 0 1 2 3 4 5
w (in lbs) 210 231 252 273 294 315
Which equation shows how to calculate the rate of change for interval 1 to 2?

(1 point)
Responses

315−231/5−1≈21
the fraction with numerator 315 minus 231 and denominator 5 minus 1 almost equal to 21

252−231/2−1≈21
the fraction with numerator 252 minus 231 and denominator 2 minus 1 almost equal to 21

252+231/2+1≈241.5
the fraction with numerator 252 plus 231 and denominator 2 plus 1 almost equal to 241 point 5

252−2/231−1≈1.1

1 answer

To calculate the rate of change of the weight of the baby elephant from interval 1 to 2 (which corresponds to t = 1 week and t = 2 weeks), we use the formula for the average rate of change, which is:

Average Rate of Change=w(t2)w(t1)t2t1

In this case, t1=1 and t2=2.

From the table:

  • w(1)=231 lbs
  • w(2)=252 lbs

Plugging these values into the formula:

Average Rate of Change=25223121=211=21

Thus, the correct response that shows how to calculate the rate of change for interval 1 to 2 is:

252−231/2−1≈21
(the fraction with numerator 252 minus 231 and denominator 2 minus 1 almost equal to 21)