Question

complete the statement that describes the situation. the air mattress has cubic inches of air when carla starts deflating it. the mattress loses cubic inches every minute as it is deflating.

Explanation:

Step1: Find initial air (y-intercept)

The y - intercept is when \( x = 0 \) (start of deflating). From the graph, at \( x = 0 \), \( y = 18000 \). So initial air is 18000 cubic inches.

Step2: Calculate rate of loss (slope)

Slope formula: \( m=\frac{y_2 - y_1}{x_2 - x_1} \). Use points \( (0, 18000) \) and \( (5, 0) \).
\( m=\frac{0 - 18000}{5 - 0}=\frac{- 18000}{5}=- 3200 \). The negative sign shows loss, so loss per minute is 3200 cubic inches.

Answer:

The air mattress has 18000 cubic inches of air when Carla starts deflating it. The mattress loses 3200 cubic inches every minute as it is deflating.