The average monthly temperatures in New Orleans, Louisiana, are

given in the following tables:

MonthJFMAMJ°C 16.5 18.3 21.8 25.6 29.2 31.9 MonthJASOND°C 32.6 32.4 30.3 26.4 21.3 18.0

What characteristics of the function correspond to the constants a, b, c, and d?
Determine the temperature function T(t). [Hint: Consider January to be Month 0, February to be Month 1, etc.]

1 answer

Number the months 1-12 and then plug the data into a graphing system to get a 3rd degree polynomial in the form ax^3+bx^2+cx+d=f(x)