A pilot is flying an airplane. Due to strong winds, the pilot decides to fly 4,000

Question

feet lower to avoid excessive turbulence. It takes the pilot 3.5
minutes to make this adjustment. Interpret the quotient to describe the rate of change in the plane’s altitude. Give your answer to the nearest hundredth, and remember the plane is descending.(1 point)
The quotient that best represents the rate of change in the plane’s altitude is
feet/minute.

Answer 1

To find the rate of change in the plane's altitude, we can calculate the quotient of the altitude change and the time taken.

The plane descends 4,000 feet over a time period of 3.5 minutes.

To find the rate of descent in feet per minute, we use the formula:

\[ \text{Rate} = \frac{\text{Change in altitude}}{\text{Time}} = \frac{-4000 \text{ feet}}{3.5 \text{ minutes}} \]

Now perform the division:

\[ \text{Rate} = \frac{-4000}{3.5} \approx -1142.8571428571 \]

When rounding to the nearest hundredth, we get:

\[ \text{Rate} \approx -1142.86 \text{ feet/minute} \]

Since the plane is descending, the negative sign indicates that the altitude is decreasing.

Thus, the quotient that best represents the rate of change in the plane’s altitude is approximately

-1142.86 feet/minute.