A certain mountain has an elevation of 19,583 feet. In 1907, the glacier on this peak covered 10 acres.By 2002, this glacier had melted to only 1 acre. (a) Assume this glacier melted at a constant rate each year. Find this yearly rate. (b)Use your answer from part (a)to write a linear equation that gives the acreage A of this glacier t years past 1907.
a constant rate in acres/year, or a constant rate as a %age of the glacier's area?
In the first case, it was reduced by 9 acres in 95 years, or .0947 acres/yr
In the second case, it was reduced to 10% in 95 years, at a rate of 2.4%/yr
I guess you want .0947 acres/yr, since it's asking for a linear equation.
A = 10 - .0947x where x=years since 1907.
Extra credit: At that rate, when will the glacier be gone?