What is the slope of the segment shown for a staircase with 10-inch treads and 7.75-inch risers? As you walk up (or down) the st
airs, your vertical distance from the floor is a linear function of your horizontal distance from the point on the floor where you started. Is the function discrete or continuous? Explain.
The vertical distance is not continuous, thus it is
discrete. A discrete function only allows certain points in the interval. When
you walk up or down the stairs, the vertical distances are not continuous
because of the treads. You cannot stay also mid-air, so it should be discrete.
An example of a continuous function would be when you walk up or down an
inclined plane.
