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)%0D%0AThe quotient that best represents the rate of change in the plane’s altitude is feet/minute.

Answer 1

To calculate the rate of change in the plane’s altitude, we need to interpret the descent in terms of feet per minute.

The plane descends 4,000 feet over 3.5 minutes. The rate of change can be calculated using the formula:

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

Calculating this gives:

\[ \text{Rate of change} = \frac{-4000}{3.5} \approx -1142.86 \text{ feet/minute} \]

To the nearest hundredth, the rate of descent is:

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

Since we are focusing on the rate of descent (the plane is descending), the quotient that best represents the rate of change in the plane's altitude is:

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