Question

The altitude of an airplane coming in for a landing is represented by the equation shown below, where y represents the altitude,

in feet, of the airplane and x represents the number of minutes the plane has been descending:
y=-1025x + 30,750
Part A:
Create a table for the values when x = 0, 5, 8, 10, 30.
Include worked-out equations used to identify the values within the table.
Part B:
Identify the altitude after 5 minutes and after 30 minutes. Use 1-2 sentences to explain the altitude at these two times and
describe what is happening to the airplane at these time intervals.

Answer 1

Explanation:

Part A:

x | y | Equation

0 | 30,750 | y = -1025*0 + 30,750

5 | 27,250 | y = -1025*5 + 30,750

8 | 23,750 | y = -1025*8 + 30,750

10 | 20,250 | y = -1025*10 + 30,750

30 | -20,250 | y = -1025*30 + 30,750

Part B:

After 5 minutes, the altitude is 27,250 feet. This means that the airplane has been descending steadily for 5 minutes and is now at a lower altitude than when it started.

After 30 minutes, the altitude is -20,250 feet. This means that the airplane has been descending steadily for 30 minutes and is now much lower than when it started. The airplane is close to the ground and about to land.

Answer 2

Part A:

Look at photo

Part B:

After 5 minutes, the altitude of the airplane is 20,500 feet. This means that the airplane has been descending for 5 minutes and has lost an altitude of 10,250 feet.

After 30 minutes, the altitude of the airplane is -29,250 feet. This means that the airplane has been descending for 30 minutes and has lost an altitude of 60,000 feet. The negative value of the altitude indicates that the airplane has landed or is close to landing.

At both 5 minutes and 30 minutes, the airplane is descending. The rate of descent is constant, as represented by the slope of the equation, and is equal to -1025 feet per minute. At 5 minutes, the airplane is still at a high altitude, while at 30 minutes the airplane has landed or is close to landing, as indicated by the negative value of the altitude.