Question

a fisherman is measuring the amount of bait he has remaining, y, in his bucket. he puts 20 pieces of bait in his bucket at the beginning of his fishing trip and uses 2 pieces every hour, x. what is the slope for this linear relationship, and what does it mean in this situation? -2; the amount of bait decreases by 2 pieces each hour 2; the amount of bait increases by 2 pieces each hour -20; the amount of bait in the bucket when the fishing trip began 20; the amount of bait in the bucket when the fishing trip began

Explanation:

Step1: Define linear relationship

The linear equation for remaining bait is $y = mx + b$, where $m$ is slope, $b$ is initial bait.

Step2: Identify slope value

Bait decreases by 2 per hour, so $m=-2$.

Step3: Match slope interpretation

Slope $-2$ means bait decreases by 2 per hour.

Answer:

-2; the amount of bait decreases by 2 pieces each hour