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 blank altitude is
feet/minute.

Answer 1

To find the rate of change in the plane's altitude, we can use the formula for rate, which is:

\[ \text{Rate} = \frac{\text{Change in Altitude}}{\text{Time Taken}} \]

In this case, the plane is descending 4,000 feet and it takes 3.5 minutes to do so.

Substituting the values into the formula:

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

Now we divide:

\[ \text{Rate} = -1142.8571428571429 \text{ feet/minute} \]

Rounding to the nearest hundredth, we get:

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

The negative sign indicates that the plane is descending. Therefore, the final answer is:

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