you are sitting on a ferris wheel car. The wheel has a radius of 50 feet and makes 3 revolutions per minute. What is your linear speed in feet per minute?

(2π*50ft/rev)(3rev/min) = 300π ft/min

Hi Jenna. You probably know that the formula for the distance around a circle (called the "circumference") having a radius "R" is 2*(PI)*(R).

PI is about 3.14159, rounded down. (And sometimes people just use 3.14 for easier calculation).

So, for a circle where R = 50 feet, then the wheel's circumference = 2*(3.14159)*(50) = 314.16 feet around the circle of the ferris wheel.

So, that's how long it is around the wheel one time. You problem says it goes around 3 times per minute, so just multiply by 3 and you will get that the distance traveled in 3 revolutions (one minute) is 942.48 feet. So the speed per minute is 942.48 feet per minute.

I'm not sure how you're supposed to round this or what value your teacher wants the class to be using for PI. Note if you only use "3.14" for PI, then it comes out exactly at 942 feet per minute.

(P.S. I hadn't seen Steve's answer before the time I got done wandering through mine)

To find the linear speed in feet per minute, we need to know the circumference of the ferris wheel. The circumference of a circle is found using the formula C = 2πr, where C is the circumference and r is the radius.

Given that the radius of the ferris wheel is 50 feet, we can calculate its circumference:
C = 2π × 50 feet
C = 100π feet

Since the ferris wheel makes 3 revolutions per minute, the linear speed describes the distance traveled along the circumference in one minute.

Therefore, the linear speed in feet per minute is:
Distance traveled = C × 3 (as there are 3 revolutions per minute)
Linear speed = 100π feet × 3
Linear speed = 300π feet per minute

So, the linear speed of the ferris wheel car is 300π feet per minute.