francis is hiking up killington hill. after 1 hour, he is at an elevation of 100 feet. after 5 hours, he is at an elevation of 360 feet. find the slope and an equation represents the scenario.

1 answer

To find the slope of Francis's hike and the equation representing his elevation as a function of time, we can use the information provided:

  • After 1 hour, the elevation is 100 feet.
  • After 5 hours, the elevation is 360 feet.

Step 1: Calculate the slope

The slope \( m \) can be calculated using the formula:

\[ m = \frac{{\text{change in elevation}}}{{\text{change in time}}} \]

Let's find the change in elevation and change in time:

  • Change in elevation: \( 360 \text{ feet} - 100 \text{ feet} = 260 \text{ feet} \)
  • Change in time: \( 5 \text{ hours} - 1 \text{ hour} = 4 \text{ hours} \)

Now, we can plug these values into the slope formula:

\[ m = \frac{{260 \text{ feet}}}{{4 \text{ hours}}} = 65 \text{ feet per hour} \]

Step 2: Write the equation

We can use the point-slope form of the equation for a line, which is given by:

\[ y - y_1 = m(x - x_1) \]

Where:

  • \( m \) is the slope,
  • \( (x_1, y_1) \) is a point on the line.

We can use the point \( (1, 100) \):

\[ y - 100 = 65(x - 1) \]

Step 3: Simplify the equation

Now, let's simplify the equation:

\[ y - 100 = 65x - 65 \] \[ y = 65x + 35 \]

Conclusion

The slope of Francis's hike is \( 65 \text{ feet per hour} \), and the equation representing his elevation in feet as a function of time in hours is:

\[ y = 65x + 35 \]

where \( y \) is the elevation and \( x \) is the time in hours.