Question

sea levels follow a periodic pattern of rise and fall called the tides. the graph below shows the sea level at a certain beach, in feet, over one day, where time t is measured in hours after 12:00 a.m. (midnight) on the first day. what is the amplitude and what does it represent in this context? the graph has sea level (in feet) on the vertical axis and time (in hours) on the horizontal axis. points on the graph are (0,6), (4,22), (10,0), (16,22), (22,0), and the curve connects these points in a periodic manner. answer attempt 1 out of 2 the amplitude is dropdown and it represents dropdown.

Explanation:

Step1: Find max and min values

Maximum sea level: $22$ ft; Minimum sea level: $0$ ft

Step2: Calculate amplitude

Amplitude = $\frac{\text{Max value} - \text{Min value}}{2}$
$\text{Amplitude} = \frac{22 - 0}{2} = 11$

Step3: Interpret the amplitude

The amplitude is half the total range of sea level change, so it represents the maximum distance the sea level moves above (or below) the average sea level.

Answer:

The amplitude is $11$ feet, and it represents the maximum distance the sea level rises above (or falls below) the average sea level at the beach.