a fishing pond loses an average of 2/3 inches of water each week. find the total change in the water level of the pond after 5 weeks.

option 1

data plot with   3 dots over 33, 1 dot over 34, 2 dots over 35, no dot over 36, 1 dot over 37, 2 dots over 38, 4 dots over 39, and 2 dot over 40.

1 number

if we use a graphing calculator, there is only one such number that satisfies the conclusion of the mean value theorem, that is, a number such that

where the right-hand side is the average rate of change of f on the interval [0.5,0.75], which is the slope of the secant line.

in the attached graph, the black line is the secant line which has its slope as the average rate of change of f on [0.5,0.75], while the orange line is the only tangent line to the graph of f in the interval that satisfies the mvt conclusion.