# If a ball is thrown straight up into the air with an initial velocity of 55 ft/s, it height in...

## Question:

If a ball is thrown straight up into the air with an initial velocity of 55 ft/s, its height in feet after t second is given by {eq}y = 55t - 16t^2 {/eq}. Find the average velocity for the time period beginning when t = 1 and lasting

1. 0.1 seconds

2. 0.001 seconds

Finally based on the above results, guess what the instantaneous velocity of the ball is when t = 1.

## Average Rate of Change

To find the rate of change of a function over an interval, we can find the average rate of change. This calculates the ratio of the total change in the function over the length of the interval we're working with.

{eq}\frac{f(b) - f(a)}{b-a} {/eq}

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First, recall that the rate of change of the position is velocity. Thus, we can find the average velocity over the time periods by calculating the...

Average Rate of Change: Definition, Formula & Examples

from

Chapter 20 / Lesson 5
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Finding the average rate of change is similar to finding the slope of a line. Study the definition of average rate of change, its formula, and examples of this concept.