Question

George is loading freight into an elevator. he notices that the weight limit for the elevator is 1000 lbs. he knows that he weighs 210 lbs. he has loaded 15 boxes into the elevator. each box weighs 50 lbs. identify the rate of change for this situation.

Answer 1

The rate of change in this case is 50 lbs per box. The fixed amount that the elevator must carry is 210 lbs, which is George's weight. The amount that varies with additional boxes is 50 lbs per box, making it the rate of change. If this situation was graphed, George's weight would be the y-intercept and the rate of change would be the slope of the line.