Question content area top left

Part 1
The bar graph shows the percentage of college freshmen in a certain country with an average grade of A in high school.
The data displayed by the bar graph can be described by the mathematical model p equals StartFraction 4 x Over 5 EndFraction plus 26
​, where x is the number of years after 1980 and p is the percentage of college freshmen who had an average grade of A in high school.
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Question content area top right
Part 1
A bar graph has a horizontal axis labeled Year with the years 1980, 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2018 and a vertical axis labeled Percentage of college freshmen from 0 to 60 in increments of 10 percent. There are vertical bars with labels and heights as follows: 1980, 28%; 1990, 30%; 2000, 44%; 2010, 46%; 2018, 55%. Each bar is labeled with its height.
1980
1990
2000
2010
2018
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
Percentage of college freshmen
28 %30 %44 %46 %55 %
Year
Question content area bottom
Part 1
a. According to the​ formula, in 2010​, what percentage of college freshmen had an average grade of A in high​ school? Does this underestimate or overestimate the percent displayed by the bar​ graph? By how​ much?
Select the correct choice below and fill in the corresponding answer box to complete your choice.
A.
The model underestimates the actual value by
  
enter your response here​%.
B.
The model overestimates the actual value by
  
4​%.
Your answer is correct.
Part 2
b. If trends shown by the formula​ continue, project when 58​% of college freshmen will have an average grade of A in high school.
The year predicted is
  
enter your response here.

1 answer

To solve the two parts of your question, we will first evaluate the formula for the year 2010 and then find when the predicted percentage reaches 58%.

Part 1: Calculate the percentage for 2010 using the formula

The formula given is:

\[ p = \frac{4x}{5} + 26 \]

where \(x\) is the number of years after 1980.

For the year 2010:

  • \(x = 2010 - 1980 = 30\)

Now substitute \(x\) into the formula:

\[ p = \frac{4(30)}{5} + 26 \]

Calculating this step-by-step:

  1. \(4(30) = 120\)
  2. \(\frac{120}{5} = 24\)
  3. \(p = 24 + 26 = 50\)

According to the formula, the percentage of college freshmen with an average grade of A in 2010 is 50%.

Comparison with the bar graph:

From the bar graph, the percentage for the year 2010 is 46%.

To determine whether the model underestimates or overestimates, we compare:

  • Formula result: 50%
  • Actual value from graph: 46%

Since 50% (model) is greater than 46% (actual), this means the model overestimates the actual value.

The overestimate is:

\[ 50 - 46 = 4% \]

Thus, the answer to Part 1 is: B. The model overestimates the actual value by 4%.

Part 2: Project when 58% of college freshmen will have an average grade of A in high school.

To find when \(p = 58\), we set up the equation:

\[ 58 = \frac{4x}{5} + 26 \]

To solve for \(x\), first isolate the term with \(x\):

  1. Subtract 26 from both sides:

\[ 58 - 26 = \frac{4x}{5} \] \[ 32 = \frac{4x}{5} \]

  1. Multiply both sides by 5 to eliminate the fraction:

\[ 32 \times 5 = 4x \] \[ 160 = 4x \]

  1. Divide both sides by 4:

\[ x = \frac{160}{4} = 40 \]

Now, convert \(x\) back to the actual year by adding it to 1980:

\[ \text{Year} = 1980 + x = 1980 + 40 = 2020 \]

Thus, the predicted year when 58% of college freshmen will have an average grade of A in high school is:

2020.

Summary Answer:

  • Part 1: B. The model overestimates the actual value by 4%.
  • Part 2: The year predicted is 2020.