A squirrel has stored its acorns in a hole that is 45 feet from the ground in a tall tree. The squirrel starts on a perch 100 feet above the ground. The squirrel moves from the perch down to its stored acorns in 5.25 seconds. Interpret the quotient to describe the rate of change in the squirrels height above the ground.
The quotient in this case would be the change in height divided by the change in time. So, the quotient would be 45 feet (the change in height) divided by 5.25 seconds (the change in time). This quotient would describe the rate of change in the squirrel's height above the ground.
To interpret the quotient that describes the rate of change in the squirrel's height above the ground, we need to find the difference in height and divide it by the time taken.
The starting height of the squirrel is 100 feet above the ground, and it moves down to a height of 45 feet. So the difference in height is 100 – 45 = 55 feet.
The time taken by the squirrel to move down is 5.25 seconds.
Now we can calculate the rate of change by dividing the difference in height by the time taken: 55 feet / 5.25 seconds = 10.48 feet/second.
Therefore, the quotient 10.48 feet/second describes the rate of change in the squirrel's height above the ground. This means that the squirrel is descending at a rate of approximately 10.48 feet per second.