Question

In 2009 the number of vehicle sales in the United States was 10,002 thousand and in 2013 it was 17,884 thousand.a. [3 pts] Determine the average rate of change (slope) from 2009 to 2013.b.

Answer 1

1970.5 thousand

Explanation:

Given

Vehicle sales in 2009 = 10,002 thousand

Vehicle sales in 2013 = 17,884 thousand

Required

Determine the average rate of change;

From the given parameters, it can be seen that the number of vehicles is a function of year

Let x represent the years and y represent the number of vehicles;

Such that;

`x_1 = 2009;\ y_1 = 10,002`

`x_2 = 2013;\ y_2 = 17,884`

The rate of change is calculate as follows;

`m = (y_1 - y_2)/(x_1 - x_2)`

`m = (10002 - 17884)/(2009 - 2013)`

`m = (-7882)/(-4)`

`m = (-7882)/(-4)`

`m = 1970.5`

Hence, the average rate of change is 1970.5 thousand