Final answer:
The question appears to be about the rate of change of the hypotenuse length. Although exact calculation of this rate requires additional information, typically involving derivatives in calculus, the student is instead provided with an example of how to calculate the hypotenuse length using the Pythagorean theorem, emphasizing the importance of significant figures in the final result.
Step-by-step explanation:
The student's question is asking about the rate at which the length of the hypotenuse of a right triangle is changing, which relates to the concept of derivatives in calculus. Unfortunately, the given information does not provide a rate of change, but we can still explore how to calculate the length of the hypotenuse using the Pythagorean theorem. For example, if the two legs of a right triangle are 9 blocks and 5 blocks, the hypotenuse is calculated as c = √(9 blocks)² + (5 blocks)² which equals 10.3 blocks.
When working with significant figures, it is important to note that even though '9' and '5' might seem like they have only one significant digit, they are considered precise measurements in this context and can be treated as '9.0' or '9.00' and '5.0' or '5.00', respectively. Therefore, reporting the hypotenuse length to three significant figures as '10.3 blocks' is appropriate for expressing the precision of the calculation.