Final answer:
To estimate the hiker's elevation after 170 minutes, the equation of the trend line should be used. Assuming option (b) is correct, this would require substituting the time into the trend line equation to solve for the elevation at that time.
The correct option is b.
Step-by-step explanation:
Estimating the Hiker's Elevation After 170 Minutes
To estimate the hiker's elevation after 170 minutes, we need to use the equation of the trend line. Though the exact equation of the trend line is not provided in the question, we'll consider that it's given as:
y = mx + b
where y is the elevation after a certain time, m is the slope of the line which indicates the rate of elevation change per minute, and b is the y-intercept, representing the hiker's initial elevation.
Assuming that the option (b) 835.5 feet is the correct answer and represents the elevation after 170 minutes, this would have been calculated by plugging the value 170 into the equation for x and solving for y.
Example: If the trend line equation was y = 1.2x + 600, where the slope m is 1.2 and the y-intercept b is 600, the elevation after 170 minutes would be calculated as:
y = (1.2)(170) + 600
y = 204 + 600
y = 804 feet
In this case, the estimation would slightly differ from the provided option (b), indicating that the slope or the y-intercept in the actual trend line equation must be different.
The correct option is b.