The problem you're working on involves understanding how snowfall depends on elevation. Here's a breakdown of what is being asked:

Given Table:

Question Breakdown:

1. Part (a):

   • You are asked to find $a(5000)$, where $a(x)$ represents the amount of snowfall at an elevation $x$.
   • From the table, at 5000 feet of elevation, the snowfall is 12 inches.
   • So, $a(5000) = 12$.

2. Part (b):

   • Write $a(2000) = 3$ as an ordered pair.
   • This means at 2000 feet, the snowfall is 3 inches.
   • The ordered pair is $(2000, 3)$. However, it seems there's a slight mistake in the current answer; the correct pair is $(2000, 3)$, not $(3, 2000)$.

Would you like more details on any specific part of this problem?

Follow-up questions:

1. How would you write the ordered pair for $a(4000) = 10$?
2. What kind of function might describe this relationship between elevation and snowfall?
3. How would you graph the data points from the table on a coordinate plane?
4. Can you predict the snowfall at an elevation of 6000 feet based on the given pattern?
5. What is the rate of change of snowfall per 1000 feet of elevation gain?

Tip:

Always ensure the variables in an ordered pair are correctly placed. The first number represents the input (independent variable) and the second represents the output (dependent variable).