At the beginning of George’s diet, he weighed 212 pounds, and 8 weeks later he weighed 198 pounds. Find the average rate of change of George’s weight.
I think its 1.75 but also -1.75? which one could it be? Please help! Thanks!
212 - 198 = 14
14 / 8 = 1.75 -- so he lost an average of 1.75 pounds per week. That's about 0.8% of his original weight.
Yea but they are looking for the rate of change. Wouldn't that be a negative number?
Yes, the rate of change is -1.75 pounds per week. The negative sign is implied in the expression lost an average of 1.75 pounds per week.
To find the average rate of change of George's weight, we need to calculate the difference in weight and divide it by the time elapsed. In this case, the initial weight is 212 pounds, and after 8 weeks, the weight is 198 pounds.
To calculate the rate, we subtract the initial weight from the final weight: 198 - 212 = -14 pounds.
Now, we divide this difference by the time elapsed, which is 8 weeks: -14 pounds / 8 weeks = -1.75 pounds per week.
Therefore, the average rate of change of George's weight is -1.75 pounds per week. The negative sign indicates that his weight is decreasing.