A whale is swimming at a current depth of 15 meters below the surface. It swims up toward the surface and arrives there 9.5 seconds later. Find the quotient that best describes the rate of change in the whale’s depth. Give your answer to the nearest hundredth.(1 point)

Question

The quotient that best represents the rate of change in the whale’s depth is meters/second.
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Answer 1

To find the rate of change in the whale's depth as it swims from 15 meters below the surface to the surface in 9.5 seconds, we can set up the following calculation:

1. Initial depth: -15 meters (since it's below the surface).

2. Final depth: 0 meters (at the surface).

3. Change in depth: \[ \Delta \text{depth} = \text{Final depth} - \text{Initial depth} = 0 - (-15) = 15 \text{ meters} \]

4. Time taken: 9.5 seconds.

5. Rate of change in depth: \[ \text{Rate of change} = \frac{\Delta \text{depth}}{\text{Time}} = \frac{15 \text{ meters}}{9.5 \text{ seconds}} \approx 1.5789473684 \text{ meters/second} \]

Rounding to the nearest hundredth: \[ \text{Rate of change} \approx 1.58 \text{ meters/second} \]

Therefore, the quotient that best represents the rate of change in the whale’s depth is approximately \( 1.58 \) meters/second.