CHALLENGE PROBLEM

The Big Island of Hawaii is home to Mauna Loa, one of the world's most active      volcanoes. Due to continuous volcanic activity and tectonic plate movement,    the physical landscape of the island changes over time. A team of geologists is monitoring a specific volcanic shield cone on the island. In the year 2020, they record the elevation of the cone's peak at 3,200 meters above sea level. Because of steady, slow-moving lava accumulation, the geologists determine that the elevation of this cone increases at a constant rate of 1.5 meters per year.

• Write a linear equation in slope-intercept form (y = mx + b) that models the elevation (y) of the volcanic cone x years after the year 2020.
• Calculate the elevation of the volcanic cone in the year 2045 if the rate of lava accumulation remains constant.
• Determine the year when the volcanic cone will reach an elevation of exactly 3,260 meters.