A fighter jet has traveled 60 miles since take-off. The equation y = 19 1/6x - 60

can be used to determine the total number of miles the jet has traveled. In the equation, y represents the number of miles traveled, and x represents the number of minutes traveled. Which statement best describes the rate of change in the distance traveled?
A.
For every 1 second, a fighter jet travels 19 1/6 miles.

B.
For every 1 minute, a fighter jet travels 38 1/3 miles.

C.
For every 1 minute, a fighter jet travels 19 1/6 miles.

D.
For every 28 3/4 minutes, a fighter jet travels 115 miles

1 answer

To determine the rate of change in the distance traveled by the fighter jet, we need to analyze the equation given:

\[ y = 19 \frac{1}{6}x - 60 \]

The term \( 19 \frac{1}{6} \) is the coefficient of \( x \) and represents the rate of change in distance with respect to time.

Converting \( 19 \frac{1}{6} \) to an improper fraction:

\[ 19 \frac{1}{6} = \frac{115}{6} \text{ miles per minute} \]

This means that for every 1 minute, the fighter jet travels \( 19 \frac{1}{6} \) miles.

Therefore, the answer that best describes the rate of change in distance traveled is:

C. For every 1 minute, a fighter jet travels 19 1/6 miles.