Question

After a scientific balloon was launched, it rose at a rate of about 440 feet per minute to a final

altitude of 92400 feet. Use function notation to write an equation giving the altitude of the
balloon as a function of time. Find out how long (in minutes) it took the balloon to reach its final
altitude.

Answer 1

Let h be the altitude of the balloon in feet and t be the time in minutes. At time t = 0, the balloon is at an altitude of h = 0. Since the balloon rises at a rate of 440 feet per minute, the equation that gives the altitude of the balloon as a function of time is:

h(t) = 440t

To find out how long it took the balloon to reach its final altitude of 92400 feet, we can set h(t) equal to 92400 and solve for t:

440t = 92400

t = 210

Therefore, it took the balloon 210 minutes to reach its final altitude.