Final answer:
To determine which student improved the most, Coach Burns needs to compare the change in times for each runner from the first race to the second race.
Step-by-step explanation:
To determine which student improved the most by decreasing their time in the 5K race, Coach Burns needs to compare the change in times for each runner from the first race to the second race. The student who shows the largest decrease in time is the one who improved the most. Let's look at an example:
- Runner A ran the race in 25 minutes in the first race and improved to 22 minutes in the second race. This is a decrease of 3 minutes.
- Runner B ran the race in 30 minutes in the first race and improved to 27 minutes in the second race. This is a decrease of 3 minutes as well, the same as Runner A.
- Runner C ran the race in 28 minutes in the first race and improved to 25 minutes in the second race. This is a decrease of 3 minutes, same as Runner A and Runner B
Since all three runners decreased their time by the same amount, it is not clear which student improved the most. Additional information about the runners' times and their change in times would be needed to determine who improved the most.