Question 179505: I have this discussion question to answer and I am really confused by it. Your help would be appreciated.
Determine whether this statement "makes sense" or "does not make sense" and explain your reasoning. Because the percentage of the U.S. population that was foreign-born decreased from 1910 through 1970 and then increased after that, an equation of the form y = ax^2 + bx + c, rather than a linear equation of the form y = mx + b, should be used to model the data
Answer by eperette(173)   (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website! This questions is related to rate of change (change in population over change in time). The statement makes sense....
a function of the form y=mx+b represents a linear function...a straight line
1. a linear function increases, decreases, or remains constant over time only...it does not do one and the other
2. The m in the equation represents these static rate of change (called slope)
On the other hand a function of the form y=ax^2+bx+c represets a quadratic function, a parabola graph....
1. The parabola is shaped like a U if a is replaced by a positive number or upside down U if a is replaced by a negative number...
2. The statement given to you holds true for a positive quadratic...as you move from left to right (from smaller x to higher x values along the x-axis), the line goes down and then up (the y decreases, remains constant at one point, and then increases)
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