Question

During the period 1990-2001, U.S. imports of pasta increased from 280 million pounds in 1990 (t = 0) by an average of 35 million pounds/year.(a) Use these data to express q, the annual U.S. imports of pasta (in millions of pounds), as a linear function of t, the number of years since 1990.q(t) =(b) Use your model to estimate U.S. pasta imports in 2003, assuming the import trend continued.

Answer 1

(a) q = 280 + 35 × t

(b) q = 735 million pounds

Step-by-step explanation:

(a) The annual pasta imports are increasing at an average of 35 million per year. This is topped by the base imports at t=0 which are 280. The expression can be formed by taking the base imports of 280 and adding 35 each year to these. So, the imports denoted by q equals to 280 (base or time 0 imports) plus 35 (average yearly imports) multiply by time in years.

(b) First we determine the number of years 2003 falls in away from the base year that is t = 13.

We then plug this figure into the equation,

q = 280 + 35 × 13 = 735 million pounds