Question

Meg is heading back to her car after a hike to Misty Falls. The waterfall is at an elevation of 4,000 feet, and the trail descends an average of 500 feet for every 1 mile she hikes. You can use a function to approximate Meg's elevation after she hikes x miles.
Write an equation for the function. If it is linear, write it in the form h(x)=mx+b. If it is exponential, write it in the form h(x)=a(b)x.

Answer 1

The elevation decreases 500 ft for each mile, starting at 4000 ft, so the function is linear:
h(x) = -500x + 4000
where h(x) is Meg's elevation (feet) after x miles.