A parasail is 1/20 of a meter above the water. Then, after 10 minutes, the parasail is 1/50 of a meter above the water. What is the change in height?(1 point)

Responses

3/100 meter
Start Fraction 3 over 100 End Fraction meter

1/50 meter
Start Fraction 1 over 50 End Fraction meter

1/20 meter
Start Fraction 1 over 20 End Fraction meter

7/100 meter
Start Fraction 7 over 100 End Fraction meter

1 answer

To find the change in height of the parasail, we need to compute the difference between the initial height and the final height.

  1. The initial height is \( \frac{1}{20} \) meters.
  2. The final height is \( \frac{1}{50} \) meters.

We need to find the change in height:

\[ \text{Change in height} = \text{Final height} - \text{Initial height} \] \[ \text{Change in height} = \frac{1}{50} - \frac{1}{20} \]

To subtract these fractions, we need a common denominator. The least common multiple of 50 and 20 is 100.

Now, convert each fraction:

  1. Convert \( \frac{1}{50} \): \[ \frac{1}{50} = \frac{1 \times 2}{50 \times 2} = \frac{2}{100} \]

  2. Convert \( \frac{1}{20} \): \[ \frac{1}{20} = \frac{1 \times 5}{20 \times 5} = \frac{5}{100} \]

Now we can subtract the two fractions: \[ \text{Change in height} = \frac{2}{100} - \frac{5}{100} = \frac{2 - 5}{100} = \frac{-3}{100} \]

This indicates that the height decreased by \( \frac{3}{100} \) meters.

The following response corresponds to the decrease:

  • None of the options provided explicitly indicate a negative change, but the decrease is understood. Thus, the answer should be:

3/100 meter (indicating the height changed by this amount, although it represents a decrease).