Question

during a snowstorm, penelope tracked the amount of snow on the ground. when the storm began, there were 3 inches of snow on the ground. for the first 2 hours of the storm, snow fell at a constant rate of 1 inch per hour. the storm then stopped for 4 hours and then started again at a constant rate of 3 inches per hour for the next 5 hours. make a graph showing the inches of snow on the ground over time using the data that penelope 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: Calculate initial 2hr snow total

Start with 3 inches, add 1 in/hr for 2 hrs:
$3 + (1 \times 2) = 5$ inches.
This gives the point $(2, 5)$.

Step2: Calculate snow after 4hr pause

Snow amount stays 5 inches from hour 2 to hour $2+4=6$.
This gives the point $(6, 5)$.

Step3: Calculate snow after 5hr heavy fall

Add 3 in/hr for 5 hrs to 5 inches:
$5 + (3 \times 5) = 20$ inches.
This gives the point $(6+5=11, 20)$.

Step4: Plot the 3 line segments

1. Connect $(0, 3)$ to $(2, 5)$ (initial snow phase)
2. Connect $(2, 5)$ to $(6, 5)$ (storm pause)
3. Connect $(6, 5)$ to $(11, 20)$ (heavy snow phase)

Answer:

The graph consists of three connected segments:

1. A line from (0, 3) to (2, 5)
2. A horizontal line from (2, 5) to (6, 5)
3. A line from (6, 5) to (11, 20)

(When plotting, these segments represent the snow accumulation over time as described.)