The following table gives projections of the population of a country from 2000 to 2100.

Answer parts ​(a) through ​(c).
Year
Population​ (millions)
Year
Population​ (millions)

2000
276.9
2060
433.5
2010
308.6
2070
470.6
2020
327.2
2080
503.9
2030
358.4
2090
539.2
2040
385.1
2100
577.8
2050
409.3
Question content area bottom
Part 1
​(a) Find a linear function that models the​ data, with x equal to the number of years after 2000 and​ f(x) equal to the population in millions.
​f(x)equals
  
enter your response herexplus
  
enter your response here
​(Type integers or decimals rounded to three decimal places as​ needed.)
Part 2
​(b) Find ​f(60​). State what the value of ​f(60​) means.
​f(60​)equals
  
enter your response here ​(Round to one decimal place as​ needed.)
Part 3
State what the value of ​f(60​) means.
A.
The projected population is
  
enter your response here million in the year 2060.
B.
The projected population is
  
enter your response here million in the year 2160.
Part 4
​(c) What does this model predict the population to be in​ 2080? How does this compare with the value for 2080 in the​ table?
The population in the year 2080 will be
  
enter your response here million.
​(Round to one decimal place as​ needed.)
Part 5
How does this compare with the value for 2080 in the​ table?
A.
This value is fairly close to the table value.
B.
This value is not very close to the table value.
f(x)xx(Type integers or decimals rounded to three decimal places as needed.)f(60)(Round to one decimal place as needed.)))State what the value of f(60) means.The population in the year 2080 will be(Round to one decimal place as needed.)How does this compare with the value for 2080 in the table?

1 answer

To find a linear function that models the population data given, we will first consider the provided data points:

  • (0, 276.9) for the year 2000
  • (60, 433.5) for the year 2060
  • (80, 503.9) for the year 2080
  • and so forth...

To derive a linear function of the form \( f(x) = mx + b \), we need to:

  1. Find the slope \( m \) using two known points. We will use the points for 2000 (x = 0, population = 276.9) and 2060 (x = 60, population = 433.5):

    \[ m = \frac{f(60) - f(0)}{60 - 0} = \frac{433.5 - 276.9}{60 - 0} = \frac{156.6}{60} \approx 2.610 \]

  2. Next, we use one of the points, say (0, 276.9), to find \( b \):

    \[ f(0) = m \cdot 0 + b \implies 276.9 = b \]

Thus, our linear function is:

\[ f(x) = 2.610x + 276.9 \]

Part 1: The function is:

\[ f(x) = 2.610x + 276.900 \]


Part 2: To find \( f(60) \):

\[ f(60) = 2.610 \cdot 60 + 276.9 \approx 156.6 + 276.9 = 433.5 \]

So,

\[ f(60) = 433.5 \]

State what the value of \( f(60) \) means:

A. The projected population is 433.5 million in the year 2060.


Part 4: To find the population in 2080:

\[ f(80) = 2.610 \cdot 80 + 276.9 \approx 208.8 + 276.9 = 485.7 \]

So,

\[ \text{The population in the year 2080 will be } 485.7 \]

How does this compare with the value for 2080 in the table?

The value in the table is 503.9 million.

Since 485.7 million is not very close to the table value 503.9 million,

B. This value is not very close to the table value.


Final Summary Responses:

Part 1: \[ f(x) = 2.610x + 276.900 \]

Part 2: \[ f(60) = 433.5 \]

Meaning: A. The projected population is 433.5 million in the year 2060.

Part 4: \[ \text{The population in the year 2080 will be } 485.7 \]

Comparison: B. This value is not very close to the table value.