A Ferris wheel has a diameter of 42 feet. It rotates 3 times per minute. Approximately how far will a passenger travel during a 5-minute ride?

132 feet

659 feet

1,978 feet

3,956 feet

Determine the circumference of the Ferris wheel through the equation,

C = πd

where d is the diameter.

Substituting the known dimension to the equation above,

C = π x 42 ft = 42π ft

Since each minute the Ferris wheel makes 3 turns, it makes 15 turns in 5 minutes.

Solve the distance the passenger has traveled by multiplying the circumference with the times the ferris wheel turned.

D = (42π ft/turn) x 15 turns = 630π ft = 1979.2 ft

Therefore, the passenger has traveled approximately 1979.2 ft