A dolphin jumped above the surface of the water. It reached an altitude of 3.5 meters above the surface of the water and then dove 10 meters below the surface of the water. It went from its highest point above the water to its lowest depth in 12.5 seconds. Interpret the quotient to describe the average rate of change in the dolphin’s position. Give your answer to the nearest hundredth.
To find the average rate of change in the dolphin's position, we need to divide the change in its position by the time it took to make that change. In this case, the dolphin went from 3.5 meters above the water to 10 meters below the water, which is a total change of 3.5 + 10 = 13.5 meters.
Since the dolphin took 12.5 seconds to make this change, we can divide the change in its position by the time it took: 13.5 meters / 12.5 seconds = 1.08 meters/second.
Therefore, the average rate of change in the dolphin's position is approximately 1.08 meters/second.
To calculate the average rate of change in the dolphin's position, we need to find the change in position (altitude) divided by the change in time.
The change in position is the difference between the highest point above the water (3.5 meters) and the lowest depth below the water (-10 meters), which is 3.5 meters - (-10 meters) = 13.5 meters.
The change in time is given as 12.5 seconds.
Therefore, the average rate of change in the dolphin's position is 13.5 meters / 12.5 seconds ≈ 1.08 meters per second (rounded to the nearest hundredth).