Question

A rocket is launched into the air. The height h(t), in yards, of the rocket is a function of time, t, in seconds, as shown in the following table.
t h(t)
0 0
1 20
2 28
3 33
4 28
5 20
6 0
What is the rocket's average rate of change from 3≤t≤6 in yards/second?

Answer 1

Answer:

Step-by-step explanation:

Average rate of change is the same thing as the slope.  Because this is parabolic, we cannot find the exact rate of change as we could if this were a linear function.  But we can use the same idea.  When t = 3, h(t) = 33, so the coordinate point is (3, 33).  When t = 6, h(t) = 0, so the coordinate is (6, 0).  Plug those values into the slope formula:

$m=\frac{0-33}{6-3}$ and

$m=\frac{-33}{3}$ which is -11

From 3 to 6 seconds, the rocket is falling 11 yards per second.