Final answer:
The average rate of change of a function represents the rate at which the function's output (y) changes with respect to its input (x) over a specific interval.
Step-by-step explanation:
The average rate of change of a function represents the rate at which the function's output (y) changes with respect to its input (x) over a specific interval. To determine the average rate of change, you need to calculate the slope of the secant line between two points on the graph of the function. The formula for average rate of change between two points (x1, y1) and (x2, y2) is:
Average rate of change = (y2-y1)/(x2-x1)
For example, if you have a function y = f(x) and the values of f(x) at two points are f(x1) and f(x2), and the corresponding x-values are x1 and x2, you can plug these values into the formula to calculate the average rate of change.