The resistance y in ohms of 1,000 feet of solid metal wire at 77°F can be approximated by the model , where x is the diameter of the wire in mils (0.001 in).Use a graphing utility to graph the model , .

Question

The resistance y in ohms of 1,000 feet of solid metal wire at 77°F can be approximated by the model  ,  where x is the diameter of the wire in mils (0.001 in).Use a graphing utility to graph the model  ,  . ​

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Using a graphing utility to graph the model, we get a curve that looks like a logarithmic function. The graph goes through the point (40,0), which means that when the diameter of the wire is 40 mils, the resistance is 0 ohms. This makes sense because a wire with a diameter of 0 would have no resistance. The graph also approaches a vertical asymptote at x = 0, which means that as the diameter approaches 0, the resistance approaches infinity. The best choice is B because it is the only answer choice that resembles a logarithmic function and has a vertical asymptote at x = 0.

The Resistance Y in Ohms of 1,000 Feet of Solid