Ian tosses a bone up in the air for his dog, Spot. The height, h, in feet, that Spot is above the ground at the time t seconds after she jumps for the bone can be represented h(t)=-16²+20t.
What is Spot's average rate of ascent, in feet per second, from the time she jumps into the air to the time she catches the bone at t=1/2?

12 ft/s

Step-by-step explanation:

We are told the following function models Spot's height at time :

(1)

And we are asked to find Spot's average rate of ascent, this means its velocity , which is calculated by:

(2)

Where:

is the height of Spot at time

is the height of Spot at time

is the final time

is the initial time

So, firstly we need to calculate and :

(3)

(4)

(5)

Substituting these values in (2):

(6)

Finally:

This is Spot's average rate of ascent