Question

In a 7th graders response1. sentences, describe what types of function can be used to describe each part of the following situation. You jumped from a high ledge into a pool of water, then swam to the other side of the pool and climbed up a ladder at a constant rate to get out of the pool. Compare your height around the surface of the pool water to the time.

Answer 1

- Falling from the ledge: your height versus time looks like a parabola (a quadratic) because gravity makes you fall faster and faster.
- Swimming across: your height stays about the same as time goes by, so it is a constant function (a flat line).
- Climbing the ladder: your height increases at a steady rate, so it is a linear function (a straight line going up).
- Overall compared to time: the graph drops in a curved way to the water, stays flat while you swim, then rises in a straight line as you climb out.