Question

A hot air balloon descends 15 feet each minute after having reached an altitude of 362 feet above the ground. What is the altitude of the hot air ballon after 12 minutes

Answer 1

182 feet

Explanation:

The equation that describes the motion of the hot air ballon is:

`h(t) = h_0 - vt`

where:

`h_0` is the initial altitude

v is the rate of descend of the balloon

t is the time

The balloon starts from a height of

`h_0 = 362 ft`

and has a rate of descend of

`v=15 ft/min`

Therefore, after time

t = 12 min

Its altitude will be

`h(12)=362 - (15)(12)=182 ft`