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 find the rate of change in the plane's altitude, you can use the formula for rate:

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

In this case, the change in altitude is 4,000 feet (as the plane is descending) and the time taken is 3.5 minutes.

Now substitute the values into the formula:

\[ \text{Rate} = \frac{-4000 \text{ feet}}{3.5 \text{ minutes}} \]

Calculating this gives:

\[ \text{Rate} = -1142.857 \text{ feet/minute} \]

Rounding to the nearest hundredth, the rate of change in the plane's altitude is:

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

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