Question

A helicopter will cruise at an altitude of 8,000 feet until it lands on the runway 2.5 hours later. If the altitude is a function of the time elapsed since take-off, what is a reasonable range for this function?

A) 0 to 8,000 feet
B) 8,000 to 10,000 feet
C) -8,000 to 8,000 feet
D) 2.5 to 10,000 feet

Answer 1

The reasonable range for the altitude function of a helicopter that cruises at 8,000 feet and lands after 2.5 hours is from 0 to 8,000 feet, which includes all possible altitudes from the time of take-off to landing.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student is asking about the range of a function representing the altitude of a helicopter as a function of time. Since the helicopter is cruising at an altitude of 8,000 feet and will land after 2.5 hours, the altitude will start at 8,000 feet when the helicopter has just taken off and decrease to 0 feet (ground level) when it lands. The range of the altitude function should include all the values that the altitude can take during the flight, which are between the cruising altitude and the ground level. Therefore, the reasonable range for the function would be from 0 to 8,000 feet.