Using a linear function, it is found that the cats will be 490 meters apart in 3 minutes.
<h3>What is a linear function?</h3>A linear function is modeled by:
In which:
- m is the slope, which is the rate of change, that is, by how much y changes when x changes by 1.
- b is the y-intercept, which is the value of y when x = 0.
In this problem:
- Initially, they are 10 meters apart, hence b = 10.
- They go in opposite directions, each at a speed of 80 meters per minute, hence, each minute, they get 160 meters apart, which means that m = 160.
Hence, the equation for their distance after x minutes is:
d(x) = 160x + 10
For 3 minutes, we have x = 3, hence:
d(3) = 160(3) + 10 = 490.
The cats will be 490 meters apart in 3 minutes.
You can learn more about linear functions at brainly.com/question/24282972