Question

The linear equation c = 0.1998s + 76.4520 models the number of calories, c, in a beef hot dog as a function of the amount of sodium s, in milligrams, in the hot dog. What is the slope, and what does it mean in this context?

Answer 1

The slope of the linear equation is 0.1998, and it means that the calories in a beef hot dog is increasing with the rate of 0.1998 calories per milligram of sodium.

Explanation:

• Using y = mx + b, we know that m represents the slope.
• Looking at the equation of c = 0.1998s + 76.4520, our m is equal to 0.1998.
• This slope means that the rate is increasing by 0.1998 calories for every milligram of sodium.