An airplane is flying at an altitude of 4000 feet and descends at a rate of 200 feet per min. Determine whether the altitude is proportional to the # of min.
I need help
To determine whether the altitude is proportional to the number of minutes, we can create a proportion based on the given information.
Let's assume the number of minutes is represented by "x".
Initially, the altitude is 4000 feet, and it is decreasing at a rate of 200 feet per minute. So we can subtract 200x from 4000 to represent the decreasing altitude.
Altitude = 4000 - 200x
Now, we can set up a proportion by comparing the altitude to the number of minutes:
4000 feet / x minutes = (4000 - 200x) feet / x minutes
To determine if these ratios are equal, we can cross-multiply:
4000 * x = (4000 - 200x) * x
Expanding the right side:
4000x = 4000x - 200x^2
Simplifying:
200x^2 = 0
Since the coefficient of x^2 on the left side is 200 and the result is zero, it means that x^2 must be equal to zero. However, since x^2 cannot be zero (because x multiplied by itself will always be positive), this equation has no solutions.
Therefore, we can conclude that the altitude is not proportional to the number of minutes.
No
proportional means y = m x
linear means y = m x + b
because of the 4000 feet, this is of form
y = -200 x + 4000
which is linear but not proportional