Question

this graph shows the altitude of a bird over time. what is the slope of the line and what does it mean in this situation? the slope is -500. this means that the bird descends 500 m each minute. the slope is -350. this means that the bird descends 350 m each minute. the slope is 350. this means that the bird ascends 350 m each minute. the slope is 500. this means that the bird ascends 500 m each minute.

Explanation:

Step1: Recall the slope formula

The slope formula is \(m=\frac{y_2 - y_1}{x_2 - x_1}\). Let \((x_1,y_1)=(2,5000)\) and \((x_2,y_2)=(5,3500)\).

Step2: Substitute values into the formula

$$
LATEXBLOCK0
$$

Since the slope is negative, the altitude ( \(y\) - value) decreases as time ( \(x\) - value) increases.

Answer:

The slope is \(-500\). This means that the bird descends \(500\) m each minute.