Think about the time when the dolphin starts to ascend from -42 feet below sea level. Think about the elevation below the sea level after 14 seconds of ascending.
x-intercept: (14,0); represents the time needed by the dolphin to reach the surface. y-intercept: (0,-42); represents the dolphin's initial elevation below sea level. Graph:
Practice makes perfect
Let's think about how we can translate the given scenario into a graph.
If we let the y-axis represent the elevation below the sea level, then the x-axis will represent the time spent ascending.
Since we start measuring time from 0, when the dolphin is -42 feet below sea level, this initial elevation will give us the y-intercept ( 0, -42).
We know that after 14 seconds the dolphin reaches the surface. Thus, after 14 seconds the elevation below the sea level is feet. This gives us the x-intercept ( 14, ).
Now, let's plot the points and draw the line segment.
