To calculate the average rate of change of the function \( f(x) = 3^{x^2} \) over the interval \([-2, -1]\), we will use the formula:
\[ \text{Average Rate of Change} = \frac{f(b) - f(a)}{b - a} \]
Given \( a = -2 \) and \( b = -1 \):
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First, we find \( f(-2) \) and \( f(-1) \) from the table:
- From the table:
- \( f(-2) = 1 \)
- \( f(-1) = 3 \)
- From the table:
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Now, we substitute these values into the formula:
\[ \text{Average Rate of Change} = \frac{f(-1) - f(-2)}{-1 - (-2)} \]
\[ = \frac{3 - 1}{-1 + 2} \] \[ = \frac{2}{1} \] \[ = 2 \]
Thus, the average rate of change is \( \boxed{2} \).