A bucket that contains several inches of water is left outside on a rainy day. The height of the water in the bucket that day is given by the function equation H = 4 + 0.5t, where H is the height of the water and t is the time in hours the bucket sits out in the rain.

What is the meaning of the vertical intercept in this equation?

A.
The bucket originally contained 0.5 in. of water.

B.
The bucket originally contained 4 in. of water.

C.
The bucket fills at a rate of 0.5 in./h.

D.
The bucket fills at a rate of 4 in./h.

Question

A bucket that contains several inches of water is left outside on a rainy day. The height of the water in the bucket that day is given by the function equation H = 4 + 0.5t, where H is the height of the water and t is the time in hours the bucket sits out in the rain.
 
What is the meaning of the vertical intercept in this equation?
 
 A.
The bucket originally contained 0.5 in. of water.
 
 B.
The bucket originally contained 4 in. of water.
 
 C.
The bucket fills at a rate of 0.5 in./h.
 
 D.
The bucket fills at a rate of 4 in./h.

anonymous · Answer

@wio

anonymous · Answer

hi. do you think you could explain this to me?

anonymous · Answer

The vertical intercept would be $4$, and it is the initial water level.

anonymous · Answer

When $t=0$, then the vertical intercept is what remains, and so it represent the initial value.