The table shows how the amount of water in a bathtub changed while the faucet was on.
Water in Bathtub
Time
(minutes)
Amount of Water
(gallons)
0 0
2 3
4 6
6 9
8 12
At what average rate did the bathtub fill with water?
To find the average rate at which the bathtub filled with water, we need to determine how much water was added in total and divide it by the total time.
From the table, we can see that the amount of water in the bathtub increases by 3 gallons every 2 minutes.
So, in 2 minutes, 3 gallons of water are added. This means that the rate of water filling in the first 2 minutes is 3 gallons/2 minutes.
In the next 2 minutes, another 3 gallons are added. So, the rate of water filling in the next 2 minutes is also 3 gallons/2 minutes.
This pattern continues for the remaining increments of 2 minutes.
Therefore, the average rate of the bathtub filling with water is the total amount of water added (12 gallons) divided by the total time (8 minutes):
Average rate = 12 gallons / 8 minutes = 1.5 gallons/minute
So, the average rate at which the bathtub filled with water is 1.5 gallons per minute.