Question

ESPSuppose that the weight (in pounds) of an airplane is a linear function of the amount of fuel (in gallons) in its tank. When carrying 18gallons of fuel, the airplane weighs 2017 pounds. When carrying 52 gallons of fuel, it weighs 2238 pounds. How much does the airplaneweigh if it is carrying 60 gallons of fuel?Airplaneweight(in pounds)U poundsх5?Amount of fuel(in gallons)

Answer 1

Explanation:

To know how much does the airplane weighs, we need to find the linear equation that relates the amount of fuel x and the weight of the plane y.

First, we need to find the slope of the line. It can be calculated as:

$m=\frac{y_2-y_1}{x_2-x_1}$

Where x1 and x2 are two amounts of fuel and y1 and y2 are the respective weight of the plane. So, replacing x1 = 18 gallons, y1 = 2017 pounds, x2 = 52 gallons, y2 = 2238 pounds, we get:

$m=\frac{2238-2017}{52-18}=\frac{221}{34}=6.5$

Now, the equation of the line will be

$y-y_1=m(x-x_1)$

Where m = 6.5 and x1 = 18 gallons and y1 = 2017 pounds

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