1.2 Practice
1.2 Practice
1.2 Practice
2 Rates of Change
Practice Set 1
Problems 1 − 4, Find the average rate of change for each of the following graphs over the given
interval.
1. [−2, 0] 2. [2, 6]
3. [0, 2] 4. [−2, 2]
Problems 5 − 8, Find the average rate of change of the function over the given interval.
5. 𝑓𝑓 𝑥𝑥 = 𝑥𝑥 3 − 8𝑥𝑥 on [1, 6] 𝑥𝑥 2
6. 𝑔𝑔 𝑥𝑥 = 5 − on [1, 4]
4
7. ℎ 𝑥𝑥 = 𝑥𝑥 2 − 2 on −4 ≤ 𝑥𝑥 ≤ −1 8. 𝑠𝑠 𝑡𝑡 = 𝑡𝑡 + 3 2 − 4 on −3 ≤ 𝑡𝑡 ≤ 5
Problem 13, Use the graph of the function 𝑦𝑦 = ℎ(𝑥𝑥) to complete the table by finding the average
rate of change at the values. Hint: Choose a second point that creates a secant line to
calculate the slope passing through your given x-value.
13. Complete the table below using the graph 𝑦𝑦 = ℎ(𝑥𝑥), shown below. Draw a secant line and show
your work that supports your answer.
(𝒙𝒙𝟏𝟏 , 𝒚𝒚𝟏𝟏 )
𝒙𝒙 Rate of change of 𝒉𝒉(𝒙𝒙)
(𝒙𝒙𝟐𝟐 , 𝒚𝒚𝟐𝟐 )
−4
−2.25
1.5
16. What is the average rate of change of 𝑔𝑔(𝑥𝑥) over the interval
−7 ≤ 𝑥𝑥 ≤ −2.
17. Suppose a customer purchases C catnip treats based on the sale price p, where
𝐶𝐶 𝑝𝑝 = 18 − 𝑝𝑝2 + 𝑝𝑝, for 1 ≤ 𝑝𝑝 ≤ 4. Find the average rate of change in demand when the
price increases from $3 per treat to $4 per treat. What does this tell you about the price?
19. Suppose the total cost in dollars to produce 𝑥𝑥 widgets is given by the function
𝐶𝐶 𝑥𝑥 = 0.0002𝑥𝑥 3 + 0.09𝑥𝑥 2 + 12𝑥𝑥 + 1500.
A. Find the average rate of change of the total cost when the number of widgets produced
increases from 100 to 300 items.
B. Find the average rate of change of the total cost when the number of widgets produced
increases from 200 to 500 items.
20. Suppose an object is launched upward with an initial velocity of 48 feet per second from a height
of 80 feet. The height of the object t seconds after it is launched is given by the function
ℎ 𝑡𝑡 = −16𝑡𝑡 2 + 48𝑡𝑡 + 80.
A. Find the average velocity in the first two seconds after the object is launched.
21. The table gives the velocity of a skydiver t seconds into a free fall.
Time in
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
seconds
Velocity in
0 142 167 173 173.8 175 175
feet/second
A. Find the average rate of change of velocity for each ten second interval.
B. During which interval was the average rate of change the highest?
C. Use the average rate of change from 10 seconds to 20 seconds to find an approximation of
the skydiver’s velocity 15 seconds into the freefall.
22. The table gives the population of Eulerville on planet Newton since 1980.
Population
12.3 15.2 18.0 21.7 25.2
(in millions)
B. During which decade was the average rate of change the largest?
C. Use the average rate of change during the decade from 2010 to 2020 to approximate the
population of Eulerville in 2018.
𝑡𝑡, minutes 0 2 5 7 10
𝐹𝐹 𝑡𝑡 , in degrees Celsius 76 73 67 63 58
23. How fast is the soup cooling, on average, over the ten-minute interval? Show your set-up
and work. Include units.
24. Estimate the rate at which the temperature of the soup is changing at 𝑡𝑡 = 5.5 minutes. Explain
your approach to your answer.
25. When is the bowl of soup cooling the fastest? How do you know?
26. Using the average rate of cooling, estimate when the temperature of the soup will reach 54℃.
Distance,
in miles
Time, in minutes
A. What is the average rate of travel over the first 20 minutes. (Be sure to change minutes
into hours.)
E. Why is the segment between 𝑡𝑡 = 80 and 𝑡𝑡 = 120 negative? Explain what this segment of
the trip represents.