To determine the function described by the mapping diagram, we'll analyze the given points:
- When \( x = 0 \), \( y = -8 \)
- When \( x = 1 \), \( y = -7.5 \)
- When \( x = 2 \), \( y = -7 \)
- When \( x = 3 \), \( y = -6.5 \)
From the points, we see that as \( x \) increases by 1, \( y \) increases by \( 0.5 \). This indicates a linear relationship between \( x \) and \( y \).
Now let's find the slope (\( m \)) and y-intercept (\( b \)) of the linear function in the form \( y = mx + b \):
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Finding the slope:
- The change in \( y \) (rise) when \( x \) increases by 1 (run) is \( 0.5 \).
- Thus, the slope \( m = 0.5 \).
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Finding the y-intercept:
- We can use the point (0, -8) to find the y-intercept.
- Since at \( x = 0 \), \( y = -8 \), we have \( b = -8 \).
Now, we can write the equation:
\[ y = 0.5x - 8 \]
In the notation that is often used for functions, we can express this as:
\[ f(x) = \frac{1}{2}x - 8 \]
Thus, the correct response from the options provided is:
f(x) = \frac{1}{2}x - 8.