Example 2

A driving instructor at a local high school records the total number of students taking driver’s education classes each school year. The table to the right shows the number of students for each of the last 8 years. Create a scatter plot showing the relationship between the year and the total number of students. Show that the function y = 600(1.05)x is a good estimate for the relationship between the year and the population. Approximately how many students will take driver’s education classes in year 9?
1. Plot each point on the coordinate plane. 2. Graph the given function on the coordinate plane. 3. Compare the graph of the function to the scatter plot of the data. 4. Use the equation to answer the question. This applet is provided by Walch Education as supplemental material for their mathematics programs. Visit www.walch.com for more information.