Question

A rocket is 1.5miles above the earth in 20 seconds and is 8 miles above the earth in 2 minutes. What is the rockets rate of change in miles per seconds

Answer 1

Given:

A rocket is 1.5 miles above the earth in 20 seconds.

It is 8 miles above the earth in 2 minutes.

To find:

The rockets rate of change in miles per seconds.

Solution:

Let y be the height above the earth after x seconds.

A rocket is 1.5 miles above the earth in 20 seconds. So, the point is (20,1.5).

It is 8 miles above the earth in 2 minutes.

1 minute = 60 seconds

2 minutes = 120 seconds

So, the point is (120,8).

The rockets rate of change in miles per seconds is

`m=(y_2-y_1)/(x_2-x_1)`

`m=(8-1.5)/(120-20)`

`m=(6.5)/(100)`

`m=0.065`

Therefore, the rockets rate of change is 0.065 miles per seconds .