Final answer:
To predict the consumption of milk in the year 2008, substitute the corresponding value of t into the equation m = -0.13t + 8.
Step-by-step explanation:
To predict the consumption of milk in the year 2008, we need to find the value of t that corresponds to the year 2008. Since t represents the number of years after 1997, we can calculate t by subtracting 1997 from 2008:
t = 2008 - 1997 = 11
Now that we have the value of t, we can substitute it into the equation m = -0.13t + 8:
m = -0.13(11) + 8 = 6.57
Therefore, the predicted consumption of milk in the year 2008 is approximately 6.57 gallons.