To find the equation of the linear function that models the relationship shown in the table, we can use the two points provided: (6, 16) and (15, 43).
First, we will calculate the slope (m) using the formula:
\[ m = \frac{y_2 - y_1}{x_2 - x_1} \]
Using our points:
- Point 1: (6, 16) → \(x_1 = 6\), \(y_1 = 16\)
- Point 2: (15, 43) → \(x_2 = 15\), \(y_2 = 43\)
Substituting these values into the slope formula:
\[ m = \frac{43 - 16}{15 - 6} = \frac{27}{9} = 3 \]
Now that we have the slope (m = 3), we can use one of the points to find the y-intercept (b). We will use point (6, 16) with the equation of the line in the form \(y = mx + b\):
\[ 16 = 3(6) + b \]
Calculating this gives us:
\[ 16 = 18 + b \]
Now solve for \(b\):
\[ b = 16 - 18 = -2 \]
Now that we have both the slope and the y-intercept, we can write the equation of the line:
\[ y = 3x - 2 \]
Thus, the equation of the linear function that models the relationship shown in the table is:
\[ \boxed{y = 3x - 2} \]