Question

Max is painting a fence.The table shows the number of square feet he painted after various numbers of minutes. What is the rate of change?

Amount of Fence Max Painted
Minutes
Square Feet Painted
1
3.5
2
7
3
10.5
4
14
5
17.5
–3.5
–1
1
3.5

Answer 1

Rate of change = change in square feet ÷ change in minutes.

For example, (7 − 3.5)/(2 − 1) = 3.5/1 = 3.5.

So Max paints 3.5 square feet per minute.