To find the average rate of change in the dolphin's position, we first need to determine the total vertical displacement.
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Starting Point (Highest Point): The dolphin's highest point is 3.5 meters above the surface, which we can represent as +3.5 m.
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Ending Point (Lowest Point): The dolphin's lowest point is 10 meters below the surface, which we can represent as -10 m.
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Total Change in Position: \[ \text{Change in Position} = \text{Final Position} - \text{Initial Position} = (-10) - 3.5 = -13.5 , \text{m} \]
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Total Time: The time taken for the change in position is 12.5 seconds.
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Average Rate of Change: \[ \text{Average Rate of Change} = \frac{\text{Change in Position}}{\text{Time}} = \frac{-13.5 , \text{m}}{12.5 , \text{s}} = -1.08 , \text{m/s} \]
Therefore, the average rate of change in the dolphin's position, rounded to the nearest hundredth, is \(-1.08 , \text{m/s}\).