Question

An environmental agency studying the effects of drought on a lake has found that the water levels in the lake are decreasing at a constant rate during the initial few months of the drought. The equation y = -0.6x + 346 represents the depth of lake (y) based on the number of weeks passed (x). What does the y-intercept represent in this scenario?

Answer 1

Answer the question. What is it?

Answer 2

A. the depth of the lake at the beginning of the research
b. the depth of the lake after 10 weeks of research
c.the average depth of the lake during the research
d. the minimum depth of the lake during the research
e. the depth of the lake during the previous year

Answer 3

Excellent choices. Comment on each.

A. the depth of the lake at the beginning of the research

Maybe

b. the depth of the lake after 10 weeks of research

That's silly.

c.the average depth of the lake during the research

There's no average in there.

d. the minimum depth of the lake during the research

No, it's decreasing. That would be the END of the survey.

e. the depth of the lake during the previous year

Senseless.

Just give each answer a little thought. What is happening. What is modeled?