Question

The graph shows the altitude, a, of a plane, in feet, after t minutes. What is the rate of ascent of the airplane?

Answer 1

The rate of ascent is also known as the slope. To find the slope, we will follow the steps below.

Step 1) Choose two points on the line

Point 1: (4, 500)

Point 2: (8, 1000)

Step 2) Use the slope formula to find the slope

m = (y2 - y1) / (x2 - x1)

m = (1000 - 500) / (8 - 4)

m = 500 / 4

m = 125 feet per minute

Hope this helps! :)