Answer: one square inch per day
Explanation:
To find the rate of change in the area covered by the mold, we need to calculate the average rate of change over the 8-day period.
The initial area covered by the mold was 4 square inches, and after 8 days, it had grown to cover 12 square inches. Therefore, the change in the area covered was:
12 - 4 = 8 square inches
The average rate of change in the area covered over the 8-day period was:
8 / 8 = 1 square inch per day
Therefore, the rate of change in the area covered by the mold was 1 square inch per day.