A pilot is flying an airplane. Due to strong winds, the pilot decides to fly 4,000 feet lower to avoid excessive turbulence. It takes the pilot 3.5 minutes to make this adjustment. Interpret the quotient to describe the rate of change in the plane’s altitude. Give your answer to the nearest hundredth, and remember the plane is descending. please explain
The quotient in this scenario represents the rate of change in the plane's altitude, which can be interpreted as the average rate of descent.
To find this rate, we divide the change in altitude (4,000 feet) by the time it takes (3.5 minutes).
Rate of descent = Change in altitude ÷ Time
Rate of descent = 4000 ft ÷ 3.5 min
Using a calculator, we can evaluate this quotient to the nearest hundredth:
Rate of descent ≈ 1142.86 ft/min
Therefore, the rate of change in the plane's altitude, or the rate of descent, is approximately 1142.86 ft/min.