Question

answer the question correctly to continue! a cars speed over time is represented by a function. between minutes 5 and 10, the speed stays the same. what does the graph look like? a curve sloping downward a vertical line a horizontal line segment a diagonal upward line segment

Explanation:

Step1: Analyze the relationship between speed and time

When the car's speed stays the same over a period of time (from 5 to 10 minutes), the value of the speed (dependent variable) does not change as time (independent variable) increases within that interval.

Step2: Recall the characteristics of different graph types

• A curve sloping downward would mean speed is decreasing over time.
• A vertical line is not a function (fails the vertical line test as one \(x\) - value (time) would correspond to multiple \(y\) - values (speed)).
• A diagonal upward line segment would mean speed is increasing over time.
• A horizontal line segment has a slope of \(m = 0\). In the context of a speed - time graph, where the formula for slope \(m=\frac{\text{change in speed}}{\text{change in time}}\), if \(m = 0\), \(\text{change in speed}=0\) (speed is constant).

Answer:

A horizontal line segment