We have two systems in this problem, namely:
System A. Mel slides down water slide A. So, let's name the position of Mel at a given time, that represents her height. In this way, we know that:
System B. Victor slides down water slide B. So, let's name the position of Victor at a given time, that represents his height. Thus, we know that:
So, we have the following questions:
1. Who was descending at a faster average rate?
For a nonlinear graph whose slope changes at each point, the average rate of change between any two points is given by:
<em>So Mel was descending at a faster average rate.</em>
2. Ordered pairs relating Mel’s positions at a given time.
We can write these ordered pairs as follows:
That is, after 2 seconds, Mel was 50 feet in the air, and after 5 seconds, she was 35 feet in the air.
3. Ordered pairs relating Victor’s positions at a given time.
We can write these ordered pairs as follows:
That is, after 1 second Victor was 60 feet in the air, and after 4 seconds, he was 50 feet in the air.