Problema Solution
In a country the number of students who completed high school and enrolled in college that same year increased from 1.4 million in 2002 to 1.9 million in
2006.
a) Find an equation for the line including the given data points. Let x represent the number of years after 2000 and y the number of recent high school graduates (or the equivalent) who enrolled in college that year.
b) Estimate the number of high school graduates (or the equivalent) who enrolled in college in 2003 and in 2013
Answer provided by our tutors
a) The slope intercept form of the equation is:
y = mx + b
For the year of 2002 we have x = 2 (since 2002 - 2000 = 2) and y = 1.4
For the year of 2006 we have x = 6 (since 2006 - 2000 = 6) and y = 1.9
This means the line foes trough the points (2, 1.4) and (6, 1.9):
2m + b = 1.4
6m + b = 1.9
........
click here to see the system of equations solved for m and b
........
m = 1/8
b = 23/20
The equation is:
y = (1/8)x + 23/20
b) For the year of 2003 we have x = 3 (since 2003 - 2000 = 3)
y = (1/8)*3 + 23/20
y = 1.525 million
The number of high school graduates who enrolled in college in 2003 is 1.525 million.
For the year of 2013 we have x = 13 (since 2013 - 2000 = 13)
y = (1/8)*12 + 23/20
y = 2.65 million
The number of high school graduates who enrolled in college in 2013 is 2.65 million.