Question

The graph shows the altitude of a helicopter over time. A graph measuring altitude and time. A line runs through coordinates (0, 10,000) and (15, 4000) and shows a decrease in altitude as time increases What is the slope of the line and what does it mean in this situation? The slope is –2000 . This means that the helicopter descends 2000 ft each minute. The slope is –400 . This means that the helicopter descends 400 ft each minute. The slope is 400. This means that the helicopter ascends 400 ft each minute. The slope is 2000. This means that the helicopter ascends 2000 ft each minute. 1 2 3 4 5

Answer 1

We can calculate for the slope of the line using the formula:

m = (y2 – y1) / (x2 – x1)

From the given values:

m = (4,000 – 10,000) ft / (15 – 0) min

m = -400 ft/min

This means that the altitude is decreasing by 400 ft per minute.

> The slope is –400 . This means that the helicopter descends 400 ft each minute.