A pilot is flying an airplane. Due to strong winds, the pilot decides to fly 4,000 feet lower to avoid excessive turbulence. It takes the pilot 3.5 minutes to make this adjustment. Interpret the quotient to describe the rate of change in the plane’s altitude. Give your answer to the nearest hundredth, and remember the plane is descending.(1 point)

Question

The quotient that best represents the rate of change in the plane’s altitude is ____ feet/minute.

Answer 1

To determine the rate of change in the plane's altitude, we need to divide the total change in altitude by the time taken for that change.

The plane is descending 4,000 feet in 3.5 minutes.

The calculation for the rate of change will be:

\[ \text{Rate of change} = \frac{\text{Change in altitude}}{\text{Time taken}} = \frac{-4000 \text{ feet}}{3.5 \text{ minutes}} \]

Calculating the quotient:

\[ \text{Rate of change} = -\frac{4000}{3.5} \approx -1142.8571 \text{ feet/minute} \]

Rounding this to the nearest hundredth gives:

\[ -1142.86 \text{ feet/minute} \]

Since the plane is descending, the rate of change is negative. Therefore, the answer is:

The quotient that best represents the rate of change in the plane’s altitude is -1142.86 feet/minute.