Question: Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) were used as propellants in spray cans until their build up in the atmosphere started destroying the ozone, which protects us from ultraviolet rays. Since the 1987 Montreal Protocol (an agreement to curb CFCs), the CFCs in the atmosphere above the US have been reduced from a high of 3200 parts per trillion (ppt) in 1994 to 2750 ppt in 2010.15 The reduction has been approximately linear. Let C(t) be the concentration of CFCs in ppt in year t.
(a) Find C(1994) and C(2010).
(b) Estimate C' (1994) and C' (2010).
(c) Assuming C(t) is linear, find a formula for C(t).
(d) When is C(t) expected to reach 1850 ppt, the level before CFCs were introduced?
(e) If you were told that in the future, C(t) would not be exactly linear, and that C"(t) > 0, would your answer to part (d) be too early or too late?