At 1 P. M. there were 16 seagon the beach. at 3 P. M. there were 40. what is the constant rate of change

12 seagons / hour.

rate = increase in number of seagons / time

= 40-16 / 3-1

= 12

The rate of change is

(amount of change / (time for the change).

What that formula tells you is the average rate of change

during that particular time.

With the information given in the question, the only thing we can say

is that the average rate of change between 1 PM and 3 PM was

(40 - 16) seagons / (3 - 1) hours

= (24 seagons) / (2 hours)

= (24 / 2) (seagon/hour)

= 12 seagons per hour.

We can't say whether the rate of change was constant between

1 PM and 3 PM, we can't predict what it will be at any later time,

and we still have no idea what seagons are.