Final answer:
The equation represents the relationship between years since 2000 and average annual salary using the slope-intercept form. The slope represents the rate of change of salary over time. Rounding the slope to the nearest whole number is necessary.
Step-by-step explanation:
The equation for the line of best fit represents the relationship between the number of years since 2000 (x) and the average annual salary of the workers (y). The slope-intercept form of an equation is given by y = mx + b, where m is the slope and b is the y-intercept. In this case, the equation is y = Ix + 15044.
The slope (m) represents the rate of change of the average annual salary with respect to the number of years since 2000. In this context, it indicates how much the average annual salary increases or decreases per year.
To round the slope to the nearest whole number, you can either round up or down depending on the value. For example, if the slope is 1.4, you would round it down to 1. If the slope is 1.6, you would round it up to 2.
Learn more about Slope-intercept form of equation