the doctor traveled to an African prairie to observe how fast cheetah runs. He noticed that every 10 seconds, the cheetah slowed down 4 1/2 miles per hour. The cheetah had to slow down a total of 15 times before it ran out of energy and had a speed of 0 mph. What was the cheetah's top speed, in decimal form?
To find the cheetah's top speed in decimal form, we need to calculate the initial speed and the total decrease in speed.
Given:
- The cheetah slowed down 4 1/2 miles per hour every 10 seconds.
- The cheetah slowed down a total of 15 times.
To find the total decrease in speed, we multiply the decrease in speed per interval (4 1/2 miles per hour) by the number of intervals (15).
Total decrease in speed = (4 1/2) x 15 = 67.5 miles per hour.
To find the initial speed, we need to subtract the total decrease in speed from the final speed (0 miles per hour).
Initial speed = Final speed - Total decrease in speed = 0 - 67.5 = -67.5 miles per hour.
Since speed cannot be negative, we can conclude that the initial speed of the cheetah was 67.5 miles per hour.
Thus, the cheetah's top speed, in decimal form, is 67.5 mph.