Scientists are conducting an experiment with a gas in a sealed container. The mass of the gas is measured, and the scientists realize that the gas is leaking over time in a linear way.

Question

Six minutes since the experiment started, the gas had a mass of 144 grams.
Fourteen minutes since the experiment started, the gas had a mass of 115.2 grams.
Let x be the number of minutes that have passed since the experiment started, and let y be the mass of the gas in grams at that moment. Use a linear equation to model the weight of the gas over time.
(a)This line’s slope-intercept equation is:
(b)34 minutes after the experiment started, there would be____grams of gas left.
(c)If a linear model continues to be accurate,____minutes since the experiment started, all gas in the container will be gone.

Answer 1

y = 144+(115.2-144)/(14) x
= 144-2.057x

Now just plug in values for x.