As sacks are unloaded off a wagon, the total weight of the wagon and sacks changes. Each sack has the same weight. After 3 sacks are removed, the…

The problem describes a linear relationship between the number of sacks removed and the total weight. The weight of each sack is the rate of change. We can find this by calculating the change in weight divided by the change in the number of sacks removed. The weight decreased by 116 - 101 = 15 pounds when the number of sacks removed increased from 3 to 6 (a change of 3 sacks). Therefore, the weight of each sack is 15 pounds / 3 sacks = 5 pounds per sack.

B. 18 pounds: If each sack weighed 18 pounds, removing 3 more sacks would decrease the total weight by 54 pounds, not 15 pounds.

C. 32 pounds: This value is inconsistent with the 15-pound weight difference observed when removing 3 sacks.

D. 81 pounds: This value is inconsistent with the 15-pound weight difference observed when removing 3 sacks.

1. OpenStax. (2017). College Algebra. Chapter 2, Section 2.1, "Linear Functions." This section explains how to calculate the slope (rate of change) of a linear function using two points, which is the method used here.

2. Lumen Learning. (n.d.). College Algebra. Module 3: Linear Functions, "Find the Slope of a Line Given Two Points." This resource provides the formula m = (y2 - y1) / (x2 - x1) and applies it to real-world scenarios.