Question

Tanya walked for 17 minutes from her home to a friend that lives 1.5 kilometers away. The function d(t) models Tanya's remaining distance to walk (in kilometers) as a function of t minutes since she left home. Which number type is more appropriate for the domain of d?

1) Natural numbers
2) Whole numbers
3) Integers
4) Real numbers

Answer 1

Real numbers are the most appropriate for the domain of d, as time can include any value within the minutes Tanya walked, including fractions.

Step-by-step explanation:

For Tanya's remaining distance to walk as a function of time, Real numbers would be the most appropriate for the domain of d. This is because time can be expressed in not just whole number minutes but also fractions of a minute, which are important when we need to consider any possible time during Tanya's walk. Thus, as she could have walked for any real number amount of time (e.g., 17.5 minutes), the domain of d should consist of all real numbers greater than or equal to 0 and less than or equal to 17. Real numbers include fractions and decimals, accommodating any precise measurement of time during her walk.