Question

A botanist was studying how a certain kind of plant that grows from bulbs reproduces. He started with single bulbs in planters and then counted how many plants there were in the planters every year. The graph shows the average number of plants per planter. Which statement best describes the meaning of the point (4,9) in this relationship?

a) The number of plants decreased over the years.
b) There were 9 plants per planter after 4 years.
c) The number of plants increased steadily over 4 years.
d) At 4 years, each planter had an average of 9 plants.

Answer 1

The point (4,9) on the graph indicates there were an average of 9 plants per planter after 4 years from the start of the botanist's observations.

Step-by-step explanation:

The point (4,9) on the graph indicates there were an average of 9 plants per planter after 4 years from the start of the botanist's observations. The point (4,9) on the graph depicting the average number of plants per planter over the years represents a particular moment in the study of plant reproduction. In this context, option b) There were 9 plants per planter after 4 years best describes the meaning of the point (4,9) in this relationship.

This specific point indicates that, after four years from the start of the observation, there were, on average, nine plants in each planter. It doesn't necessarily inform us about the rate of increase or decrease in the overall number of plants, just the status at this particular time.