Rate of change

Focus Question You’re in a race against one other opponent: Jesse Owens. Obviously you’re at a disadvantage because let’s get real…He’s Jesse Owens. BUT if you can figure out at what points in the race Jesse typically runs the slowest/fastest, then maybe just maybe you could outsmart him and beat him at his own game. How could we figure out Jesse’s speed at any given interval in the race?

Rates of Change Rate of change tells us how much one quantity is changing with respect to another quantity. For example, a speed of 60 mph tells us that a vehicle travels 60 miles for each hour it is driven.

Rates of Change Let’s calculate the rate of change for each section of the following graph which shows Mika’s distance from home over time:

How far did he travel in how much time? 1

Describe Mika’s trip:

Take 3 min: With your group… Come up with your own story about Mika’s trip. Talk about what his rate of change is as he travels away from home and back towards home as well as when and why he makes stops.

Conclusion If the graph is increasing, the rate of change is ___________________________. If the graph is decreasing, the rate of change is ___________________________. If the graph remains constant, the rate of change is _______________.

Quick Write! What is rate of change? (In your own words) How do you calculate the rate of change for any given time interval?