Question

A candle's height, in inches, is a function of the number of hours it has been burning. After 4 hours the
candle's height is 10 inches, and after 16 hours the candle's height is 7 inches. The candle is burning at
constant rate.
Construct an equation that can be used to determine the candle's height, y, after x hours.
Enter your equation in the space provided. Enter only your equation.

Answer 1

The linear function that gives the candle's height, y, after x hours, is defined by:

y = -0.25x + 11.

What is a linear function?

A linear function is modeled by:

y = mx + b

In which:

• m is the slope, which is the rate of change, that is, by how much y changes when x changes by 1.

• b is the y-intercept, which is the value of y when x = 0, and can also be interpreted as the initial value of the function.

In this problem, in 12 hours, the height decayed 3 inches, hence the slope is given by:

m = -3/12 = -0.25.

So:

y = -0.25x + b.

After 4 hours, the height was of 10 inches, hence we use this to find b:

10 = -0.25(4) + b

b = 11

Thus the equation is given by:

y = -0.25x + 11.

More can be learned about linear functions at https://brainly.com/question/24808124

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