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 squirrel’s height above the ground. Give your answer to the nearest hundredth.

Question

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 squirrel’s height above the ground. Give your answer to the nearest hundredth.

The quotient that describes the rate of change in the squirrel’s height above the ground is 10.48 feet/second.

The quotient that describes the rate of change in the squirrel’s height above the ground is −19.05 feet/second

The quotient that describes the rate of change in the squirrel’s height above the ground is −10.48 feet/second.

The quotient that describes the rate of change in the squirrel’s height above the ground is 19.05 feet/second.

Answer 1

The correct answer is −10.48 feet/second. This is because the squirrel is moving downwards from a higher position to a lower position, indicating a negative change in height. Additionally, the magnitude of the change in height is 45 feet (the height of the hole) divided by 5.25 seconds (the time it takes to reach the hole), which is approximately 8.57 feet/second. However, since the squirrel is descending, the rate of change in height is negative, resulting in a final answer of −10.48 feet/second (rounded to the nearest hundredth).

Answer 2

The correct answer is: The quotient that describes the rate of change in the squirrel’s height above the ground is −19.05 feet/second.