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

Answer 1

To find the rate of change in the plane's altitude, we need to calculate how much the altitude decreases per minute.

The pilot descends 4,000 feet in 3.5 minutes. To find the rate of descent in units of feet per minute, we can use the formula:

\[ \text{Rate of descent} = \frac{\text{Total change in altitude}}{\text{Total time}} = \frac{4000 \text{ feet}}{3.5 \text{ minutes}}. \]

Now, performing the calculation:

\[ \frac{4000}{3.5} \approx 1142.8571 \text{ feet per minute}. \]

Rounding this to the nearest hundredth, we get:

\[ \text{Rate of descent} \approx 1142.86 \text{ feet per minute}. \]

So, the rate of change in the plane's altitude is approximately 1142.86 feet per minute, and since the plane is descending, we can state that it is 1142.86 feet per minute down.