Final answer:
The slope is 17 cm per 3 minutes, and we find that y equals 17 cm after 9 minutes. Thus by solving, will get the value of y is 17 cm.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question involves understanding the concept of rate of change or slope in a real-world context.
The water level in the wading pool rises at a constant rate of 17 centimeters every 3 minutes.
This implies that the slope, which is the rate of change of the water level with respect to time, is 17/3 cm per minute.
To find the value of y when the data point is (9,y), we multiply the slope by the number of 3-minute intervals corresponding to 9 minutes.
Since 9 minutes contain 3 intervals of 3 minutes each, we multiply the slope (17/3) by 3.
y = (17/3 cm/min) × 3 intervals
= 17 cm × 1
= 17 cm
Therefore, the value of y for the data point (9,y) is 17 centimeters.