Suppose there is a 1.7°F drop in temperature for every thousand feet that an airplane climbs into the sky. If the temperature on the ground is 55.3°F, what will be the temperature when the plane reaches an altitude of 7,000 ft?

Answer 1

To find the temperature at an altitude of 7,000 feet, we can start by calculating the total temperature drop due to the altitude change.

The temperature drop is given as 1.7°F for every 1,000 feet. Therefore, for 7,000 feet, the total temperature drop can be calculated as follows:

\[ \text{Temperature drop} = \left(\frac{7,000 \text{ ft}}{1,000 \text{ ft}}\right) \times 1.7°F = 7 \times 1.7°F = 11.9°F \]

Next, we subtract this temperature drop from the ground temperature of 55.3°F to find the temperature at 7,000 feet:

\[ \text{Temperature at 7,000 ft} = 55.3°F - 11.9°F \]

Calculating that:

\[ \text{Temperature at 7,000 ft} = 55.3°F - 11.9°F = 43.4°F \]

Therefore, the temperature when the plane reaches an altitude of 7,000 feet will be 43.4°F.