SOLUTION: Problem: Driving down a mountain, Tom finds that he has descended 1800 ft in elevation by the time he is 3.25 mi horizontally away from the top of the mountain. Find the slope of

Algebra ->  Algebra  -> Quadratic Equations and Parabolas  -> Quadratic Equation Customizable Word Problems -> SOLUTION: Problem: Driving down a mountain, Tom finds that he has descended 1800 ft in elevation by the time he is 3.25 mi horizontally away from the top of the mountain. Find the slope of      Log On

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Question 79510: Problem:
Driving down a mountain, Tom finds that he has descended 1800 ft in elevation by the time he is 3.25 mi horizontally away from the top of the mountain. Find the slope of his descent to the nearest hundredth.
Hint: Draw a picture of the mountain. Include Tom's starting point and Tom's ending point.
Hint: You can't compare miles and feet. You can compare miles and miles, or feet and feet.
Hint: Should your slope be positive or negative?

Answer by stanbon(48558) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
His vertical change is 1800 ft.
His horizontal change is 3.25*5280 ft = 17160 ft.
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The slope is 1800/17160=0.1049
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Cheers,
Stan H.