The drama teacher monitored the number of people who attended the school's spring musical each year.

Question

Attendance at the high school musical
Year Attendance
2012 820
2013 819
2014 818
2015 825
2016 818
According to the table, what was the rate of change between 2012 and 2016?
(????)
people per year

Answer 1

To find the rate of change in attendance from 2012 to 2016, we follow these steps:

1. Determine the attendance values for the years in question:

   • Attendance in 2012: 820
   • Attendance in 2016: 818

2. Calculate the change in attendance: \[ \text{Change in attendance} = \text{Attendance in 2016} - \text{Attendance in 2012} = 818 - 820 = -2 \]

3. Determine the number of years between 2012 and 2016: \[ \text{Number of years} = 2016 - 2012 = 4 \]

4. Calculate the rate of change: \[ \text{Rate of change} = \frac{\text{Change in attendance}}{\text{Number of years}} = \frac{-2}{4} = -0.5 \]

Thus, the rate of change in attendance between 2012 and 2016 is: \[ -0.5 \text{ people per year} \]