Question

A diver descends 3.2m in 5min. what was his average rate of descent in metres per minute?

Answer 1

.64

Explanation:

Whenever you see x per y that means that you're looking at a ratio, which can be expressed as a fraction.

It would look like 3.2/5

The rate of descent may not be consistent, but on average it's reflected by the ratio and so you can just cut 3.2 meters into five equal parts to see, on average, how far the diver descended every minute.

Answer 2

Divide distance by time:

3.2 meters / 5 minutes = 0.64

The descent was -0.64 meters per minute