APPLICATIONS OF DIVIDING RATIONAL NUMBERS:
A bird is flying at an average altitude of 10 meters above the ground. After 3 seconds, it settles on a branch that is 3 meters above the ground. Interpret the quotient to describe the rate of change in the bird's altitude. Give your answer to the nearest hundredth and remember that the bird is descending.
The quotient that best represents the rate of change in the bird's altitude is ______ meter/second.
To find the rate of change in the bird's altitude, we need to divide the change in altitude by the time it took for the change to occur.
The change in altitude is 10 meters (starting altitude) - 3 meters (ending altitude) = 7 meters.
The time it took for the change to occur is 3 seconds.
Therefore, the quotient that represents the rate of change in the bird's altitude is 7 meters / 3 seconds.
Calculating this quotient results in approximately 2.33 meters/second.
To find the rate of change in the bird's altitude, we can calculate the difference in altitude and divide it by the time taken. In this case, the bird descends from an altitude of 10 meters to 3 meters in a time of 3 seconds.
The difference in altitude is 10 meters - 3 meters = 7 meters. The time taken is 3 seconds.
To find the rate of change, we divide the difference in altitude by the time taken:
Rate of change = Difference in altitude / Time taken
Rate of change = 7 meters / 3 seconds
Now, let's calculate this division:
Rate of change ≈ 2.333 meters/second (rounded to the nearest hundredth)
Therefore, the quotient that best represents the rate of change in the bird's altitude is approximately 2.33 meters/second.