Question

The table below shows the world birth rates y (number of births per 1000 people) x years since 1960.

x 0 10 20 30 40 50
y 35.4 33.6 28.3 27.0 22.4 20.0
Write an equation that models the birthrate as a function of the number of years since 1960. round decimals to the hundredth place.

Answer 1

To model the birth rate as a function of the number of years since 1960, we can use linear regression to find the equation of the line that best fits the given data.

Step-by-step explanation:

To model the birth rate as a function of the number of years since 1960, we can use linear regression to find the equation of the line that best fits the given data. The equation of a linear function is given by y = mx + b, where y is the dependent variable (birth rate), x is the independent variable (years since 1960), m is the slope, and b is the y-intercept.

We can use the given data points (0, 35.4), (10, 33.6), (20, 28.3), (30, 27.0), (40, 22.4), and (50, 20.0) to find the values of m and b. Using these points in the equation y = mx + b, we can solve for m and b.

A calculator or software program can be used to perform the linear regression calculation and find the equation that best fits the data.