Final answer:
To find the rate of change in the height of Alice's plants, which grew from 2 cm to 5 cm over 8 days, you calculate the growth (3 cm) and divide it by the time (8 days), resulting in a rate of change of 0.375 cm/day.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is asking about the rate of change in the height of Alice's plants. To calculate the rate of change, you subtract the initial height from the final height, then divide by the time over which the growth took place.
Initial height of the plant = 2 cm
Final height of the plant = 5 cm
Time = 8 days
You calculate the growth, which is the change in height, as follows:
Growth = Final height - Initial height
Growth = 5 cm - 2 cm
Growth = 3 cm
Now, divide the total growth by the number of days to find the rate:
Rate of change = Growth / Time
Rate of change = 3 cm / 8 days
Rate of change = 0.375 cm/day