Search and Rescue Teams Are Often Called Upon to Find

Essay

Search and Rescue Teams are often called upon to find lost hikers in remote areas of the Southwest. Members of the search team walk parallel to one another at a fixed distance d between searchers through the area being searched. The team's chance of finding the lost person is related to the distance d of separation. The closer together the searchers are, the better the chances of success. Based on a number of previous searches, the following data was found to be approximately true: If d = 24 ft., P (the probability of success) = 85%. If d = 56 feet, P = 45%.
A) What is the dependent variable?
B) What is the independent variable?
C) Write the equation of the function that relates these two variables.
D) If the team is satisfied with a success rate of 75%, how many feet apart should the searchers be?