Question

During a snowstorm, a meteorologist tracks the amount of accumulating snow. For the first three hours of the storm, the snow fell at a constant rate of one inch per hour. The storm then stopped for two hours and then started again at a constant rate of one-half inch per hour. If the snowstorm started at 6 p.m., how much snow had accumulated by midnight?

Answer 1

By calculating the snowfall at both rates separately and summing them, it was determined that a total of 4 inches of snow accumulated by midnight.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student is asking how much snow accumulated during a snowstorm that began at 6 p.m. and was observed until midnight. The snow fell at a rate of one inch per hour for the first three hours and, after a pause of two hours, resumed at a half-inch per hour rate. To solve for the total snow accumulation, we add the snow from the first three hours to the snow from the last two hours. Using the given rates, 3 inches of snow (1 inch/hour × 3 hours) accumulated in the first segment, and 1 inch of snow (0.5 inch/hour × 2 hours) accumulated in the second segment. Summing these gives us a total of 4 inches of snow by midnight.