Question

ruby takes a trip to an amusement park and rides a ferris wheel. the graph below shows the height, in feet above the ground, of her car over time, t, measured in minutes. what is the period and what does it represent in this context?

Explanation:

Step1: Identify period - definition

The period of a periodic function is the horizontal length of one complete cycle.

Step2: Find cycle start - end

In the graph, one complete cycle starts at \(t = 1\) (low - point) and ends at \(t = 7\) (next low - point).

Step3: Calculate period

The period \(P=7 - 1=6\) minutes.

Step4: Interpret period

In the context of the Ferris - wheel, the period represents the time it takes for the Ferris wheel to make one complete revolution.

Answer:

The period is 6 minutes. It represents the time it takes for the Ferris wheel to make one complete revolution.