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

4

Answer 1

To find the rate of change in the plane's altitude, we need to calculate the descent rate using the change in altitude and the time taken for the descent.

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

\[ \text{Rate of descent} = \frac{\text{Change in altitude}}{\text{Time taken}} \]

Substituting the values:

\[ \text{Rate of descent} = \frac{4000 \text{ feet}}{3.5 \text{ minutes}} \approx 1142.86 \text{ feet per minute} \]

Since the plane is descending, we express this as a negative value:

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

Thus, the rate of change in the plane’s altitude is approximately -1142.86 feet per minute.