To determine the equation that describes the function based on the given mapping diagram points \((0, -8)\), \((1, -7.5)\), \((2, -7)\), and \((3, -6.5)\), we need to analyze these points and find a linear equation that fits them.
The points correspond to the following values:
- \( f(0) = -8 \)
- \( f(1) = -7.5 \)
- \( f(2) = -7 \)
- \( f(3) = -6.5 \)
Let's determine the slope (m) between two consecutive points, for instance between \((0, -8)\) and \((1, -7.5)\):
\[ m = \frac{-7.5 - (-8)}{1 - 0} = \frac{0.5}{1} = 0.5 \]
Thus, the slope of the function is \(0.5\).
Next, we can write the equation in point-slope form \(y - y_1 = m(x - x_1)\). Using the point \((0, -8)\):
\[ f(x) - (-8) = 0.5(x - 0) \] \[ f(x) + 8 = 0.5x \] \[ f(x) = 0.5x - 8 \]
Now we can match this with the given options. The function \(f(x) = \frac{1}{2}x - 8\) matches our derived equation.
Thus, the equation that describes the function is:
\[ f(x) = \frac{1}{2}x - 8 \]
So the correct response is:
\( f(x) = \frac{1}{2}x - 8 \)