SOLUTION: I need to figure out how to put this into an equation form, then I believe I can solve it. Can someone give me a hand, please. SALES IN MILLIONS 2002 = 4.02 2003 = 5.99 20

Question 408468: I need to figure out how to put this into an equation form, then I believe I can solve it. Can someone give me a hand, please.

SALES IN MILLIONS
2002 = 4.02
2003 = 5.99
2004 = 9.18
2005 = 12.63
2006 - 14.35
A. Use the information for the years 2002 and 2006 to find an equation that models the data. Let x=2 represent 2002, x=6 represent 2006, and y represent the total sales (in millions of dollars). Write the equation, in slope-intercept form
B. Use the equation from part (a) to approximate total sales for 2004 to the nearest dollar. How does your results compare to the actual value, 9.18 million dollars?

Answer by graphmatics(170) (Show Source): You can put this solution on YOUR website!
A. You are given the instruction to write the equation, in slope-intercept form. It either is or is not true that all the points presented by the problem will intercept the graphed line of the LINEAR slope-intercept form equation. Part B. says that the points may not intercept. To create an equation of a line you need TWO points so you can: pick any two of the 5 point or use the 5 points to calculate two points in some sort of way. Lets sort of try a combination of these two things as part B. makes it SOUND O.K..
We will create a line with the data for the years 2002 and 2006 and we will sort of calculate by dropping the decimal part of SALES IN MILLION. So the line WE want passes through the points (2002, 4) and (2006, 14). So the slope m is
m = (14-4)/(2006-2002) = 10/4 = 2.5. Don't know the intercept but maybe we can get close by picking a point that the line goes thru and getting to to slope intercept form so
(y-y1) = m(x-x1)
lets select (2006,14) as (x1,y1) then
y-14 = 2.5(x-2006)
y = 2.5*x - 2.5*2006 + 14
y = 2.5*x - 5001
For B. at 2004 we have that
SALES IN MILLIONS = 2.5*2004 - 5001 = 9
and B. said "approximate total sales" So I'm done!

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