Question

Paula is scuba diving. Her elevation changes by "-37" 4/5m in 4.5 minutes. What rational number represents the average change in Paula's elevation each minute

Answer 1

The average change in Paula's elevation each minute is:

$\begin{gathered} -37\frac{4}{5}\div4.5 \\ -\frac{189}{5}\div4.5 \\ -\frac{189}{5}\times\frac{1}{4.5} \\ -\frac{189}{22.5} \\ -8.4 \end{gathered}$

Hence, the rational number that represents the average change is -8.4