Question

during a snowstorm, lydia tracked the amount of snow on the ground. when the storm began, there were 4 inches of snow on the ground. for the first 2 hours of the storm, snow fell at a constant rate of 3 inches per hour. the storm then stopped for 6 hours and then started again at a constant rate of 2 inches per hour for the next 4 hours. as soon as the storm stopped again, the sun came out and melted the snow for the next 2 hours at a constant rate of 2 inches per hour. make a graph showing the inches of snow on the ground over time using the data that lydia collected.
click twice to plot a segment.
click a segment to delete it.
snow on the ground (inches)
time since storm began (hours)

Explanation:

Step1: Initial snow amount

Start at $(0, 4)$ (time=0, snow=4 inches)

Step2: First 2 hours snowfall

Snow added: $3 \times 2 = 6$ inches. Total snow: $4 + 6 = 10$ inches. End at $(2, 10)$.

Step3: Next 4 hours snowfall

Snow added: $2 \times 4 = 8$ inches. Total snow: $10 + 8 = 18$ inches. End at $(6, 18)$.

Step4: 6 hours of no snow

Snow amount stays 18 inches. End at $(12, 18)$.

Step5: Final 2 hours snowfall

Snow added: $2 \times 2 = 4$ inches. Total snow: $18 + 4 = 22$ inches. End at $(14, 22)$.

Step6: 2 hours of melting

Snow melted: $2 \times 2 = 4$ inches. Total snow: $22 - 4 = 18$ inches. End at $(16, 18)$.

Answer:

Plot the following connected segments on the graph:

1. From $(0, 4)$ to $(2, 10)$
2. From $(2, 10)$ to $(6, 18)$
3. From $(6, 18)$ to $(12, 18)$
4. From $(12, 18)$ to $(14, 22)$
5. From $(14, 22)$ to $(16, 18)$