Two hot air balloons are traveling along the same path away from a town, beginning from different locations at the same time. Henry's balloon begins 25 miles from the town and is 37 miles from the town after 2 hours. The distance of Tasha's balloon from the town is represented by the function [tex] y = 7x + 15 [/tex].

Which balloon was farther from the town at the beginning, and which traveled more quickly?

A. Henry's balloon was farther from the town at the beginning, but Tasha's balloon traveled more quickly.

B. Tasha's balloon was farther from the town at the beginning, and it traveled more quickly.

C. Tasha's balloon was farther from the town at the beginning, but Henry's balloon traveled more quickly.

D. Henry's balloon was farther from the town at the beginning, and it traveled more quickly.



Answer :

Sure! Let's analyze the problem step-by-step:

1. Initial Distances:
- Henry's balloon starts at a distance of 25 miles from the town.
- The initial equation for Tasha's balloon is [tex]\( y = 7x + 15 \)[/tex], where [tex]\( x \)[/tex] represents time in hours and [tex]\( y \)[/tex] represents the distance from the town. When [tex]\( x = 0 \)[/tex] (at the starting point), the distance [tex]\( y \)[/tex] for Tasha's balloon is [tex]\( y = 7(0) + 15 = 15 \)[/tex] miles.

Conclusion: Henry's balloon was farther from the town at the beginning.

2. Calculating Speeds:
- For Henry's balloon: After 2 hours, his distance from the town is 37 miles. His initial distance was 25 miles. Thus, the distance traveled in 2 hours = [tex]\( 37 - 25 = 12 \)[/tex] miles. Therefore, Henry's speed = [tex]\( \frac{12 \text{ miles}}{2 \text{ hours}} = 6 \text{ miles per hour} \)[/tex].

- For Tasha's balloon: The distance formula given is [tex]\( y = 7x + 15 \)[/tex]. This indicates Tasha's speed is the coefficient of [tex]\( x \)[/tex], which is 7 miles per hour.

Conclusion: Tasha's balloon traveled more quickly.

3. Decision Making:
Based on our analysis:
- Henry's balloon was farther from the town at the beginning (25 miles vs. 15 miles).
- Tasha's balloon traveled more quickly (7 miles per hour vs. 6 miles per hour).

Hence, the correct answer is:

A. Henry's balloon was farther from the town at the beginning, but Tasha's balloon traveled more quickly.