A fish is swimming at a constant rate toward the ocean floor. The equation y = -7x - 3 can be used to represent this situation, where y is the depth of the fish in meters below sea level and x is the number of seconds the fish has been swimming.

Complete question :

A fish is swimming at a constant rate toward the ocean floor. The equation y = -7x - 3 can be used to represent this situation, where y is the depth of the fish in meters below sea level and x is the number of seconds the fish has been swimming

Which statement best describes the depth of the fish

From a starting position of 7 meters below sea level, the fish is descending 3 meters per second.

From a starting position of 7 meters below sea level, the fish is ascending 3 meters per second.

From a starting position of 3 meters below sea level, the fish is descending 7 meters per second.

From a starting position of 3 meters below sea level, the fish is ascending 7 meters per second.

From a starting position of 3 meters below sea level, the fish is descending 7 meters per second.

Step-by-step explanation:

Given the equation :

y = - 7x - 3

y = depth of fish in meters ; x = Number of seconds fish has been swimming

From the equation ; which is written according to the slope - intercept equation, ; y = mx + c

The slope, m = - 7 is the rate of change in y per unit of x

c = intercept, constant, value of y when x = 0

Hence, the true statement in the equation is :

-7 represents descent and meams fish descents at a rate of 7 m per second

At x = 0, the fish is at a depth of 3 m