Quadratics. Just write out your solution and take a pic or scan. Problem #44
The number (in thousands) of new, privately owned housing units started in the United States is shown in the table for the years 2002-2008. In the year column, 2 represents
2002, 3 represents 2003, and so on.
Year Housing Starts
(thousands)
2 1700
3 1850
4 1960
5 2070
6 1800
7 1360
8 910
Source: U.S. Census Bureau.
(a) Use the ordered pairs (year, housing starts) to make a scatter diagram of the data.
(b) Would a linear or quadratic function better model the data?
(c) Should the coefficient a of in a quadratic model be positive or negative?
(d) Use the ordered pairs 2, 1700 , 4, 1960 , and 7, 1360 to find a quadratic function
that models the data. Round the values of a, b, and c in your model to the nearest whole number, as necessary.
(e) Use your model from part (d) to approximate the number of housing starts during 2003 and 2008 to the nearest thousand. How well does the model approximate the actual data from the table?