The slope of the line is negative 0.5.

Question

​(b) Interpret the slope.
The slope of the line is
negative.
This means that during the period​ represented, the percent of freshmen planning to major in Business
decreased.
Part 3
​(c) Based on the​ graph, what was the decrease in the percent of freshmen per year who planned to major in​ Business?

  
50​%.

Answer 1

Let's break down the interpretation of the information given:

(b) Interpretation of the Slope

The slope of -0.5 means that for every year, the percentage of freshmen planning to major in Business decreases by 0.5%. This negative slope indicates a declining trend over time.

(c) Decrease in the Percent of Freshmen Planning to Major in Business

If the slope is -0.5 and you mention a decrease of 50%, we can calculate the number of years over which this decrease occurred.

Given that the total decrease is 50%, you can determine the number of years using the formula:

\[ \text{Number of Years} = \frac{\text{Total Decrease}}{\text{Decrease per Year}} \]

Substitute the values:

\[ \text{Number of Years} = \frac{50%}{0.5%} = 100 \text{ years} \]

This means that over a period of 100 years, the percent of freshmen planning to major in Business decreased by 50%, at a rate of 0.5% per year.

Summary

• The slope of -0.5 indicates a decrease.
• The percent of freshmen majoring in Business decreased by 50% over 100 years, at a rate of 0.5% per year.