Determine the initial value and the rate of change in the following description. Last year, Joshua’s tomato plant reached a maximum height of 2 feet. He is growing another tomato plant this year, and he is tracking its growth. The plant’s height today is 10 inches, and it grows 1.7 inches each day. (1 point) The initial value is b=__ , and the rate of change is m=__ .

1 answer

To determine the initial value and the rate of change for Joshua's new tomato plant, we can interpret the provided information as follows:

  1. Initial Value (b): This represents the starting height of the tomato plant. Since the height of the plant today is given as 10 inches, we can take this as our initial value. Hence, \( b = 10 \) inches.

  2. Rate of Change (m): This refers to how much the height of the plant increases each day. The problem states that the plant grows 1.7 inches each day. Thus, the rate of change is \( m = 1.7 \) inches per day.

In summary:

  • The initial value is \( b = 10 \) inches.
  • The rate of change is \( m = 1.7 \) inches per day.