Question

Let y=3t+6 be a linear function representing the distance, in feet, from home for an ant t minutes after starting out from a location near it’s home. What does the number 3 represent in this function?

Answer 1

The given equation is in the form

y = mx + b, where m is the slope and b the y-intercept.

The number 3 takes the place of m.

Thus, 3 is the slope.

Answer 2

The y, in the equation, represents the total distance, in feet, from an ant t minutes after starting out from a location near its home. The 6 represents the the distance of the location where the ant starts traveling. The 3 represents the amount of feet covered in one minute. That's why when you increase the minute by one (experiment!!), the distance away from home increases by three, and that means that the ant is traveling at 3 ft/minute. (lol crazy)

3 = the ant's speed in ft/minute