SOLUTION: The graph shows data collected by measuring the height, h, in centimeters, of a burning candle at different times, t, in minutes. Which of the following equations best represents

Question 86094: The graph shows data collected by measuring the height, h, in
centimeters, of a burning candle at different times, t, in minutes.
Which of the following equations best represents the line drawn
through the data points?
Answer by jim_thompson5910(35256) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
Note: I'm going to use x instead of t, and use y instead of h

Solved by pluggable solver: Finding the Equation of a Line

First lets find the slope through the points (,) and (,)

Start with the slope formula (note: (,) is the first point (,) and (,) is the second point (,))

Plug in ,,, (these are the coordinates of given points)

Subtract the terms in the numerator to get . Subtract the terms in the denominator to get

Reduce

So the slope is

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Now let's use the point-slope formula to find the equation of the line:

------Point-Slope Formula------
where is the slope, and (,) is one of the given points

So lets use the Point-Slope Formula to find the equation of the line

Plug in , , and (these values are given)

Distribute

Multiply and to get . Now reduce to get

Add to both sides to isolate y

Combine like terms and to get

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Answer:

So the equation of the line which goes through the points (,) and (,) is:

The equation is now in form (which is slope-intercept form) where the slope is and the y-intercept is

Notice if we graph the equation and plot the points (,) and (,), we get this: (note: if you need help with graphing, check out this solver )

Graph of through the points (,) and (,)

Notice how the two points lie on the line. This graphically verifies our answer.

So the equation is

which is equivalent to

So the answer is B)
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