Question

dean is helping with a program to increase recycling at his school. at the beginning of the school year, very few recyclables were being collected. however, recycling increased quickly as students learned more about the program. which graph could show the total amount of recycling collected at deans school over the course of the year?

Explanation:

Step1: Analyze the problem description

The total amount of recycling collected should be increasing over time as students learn more about the program. So we need to look for a graph where the \(y -\)value (total recycling collected) is non - decreasing over the \(x -\)axis (time).

Step2: Analyze each graph

• First graph: The \(y -\)value (total recycling collected) first decreases, then increases. But the problem states that recycling increased quickly as students learned more. A decrease at the beginning does not match the description.
• Second graph: The \(y -\)value (total recycling collected) first increases, then decreases. This does not match the idea of a continuous (or at least non - decreasing) increase in recycling as students learn more about the program.
• Third graph: The \(y -\)value (total recycling collected) is non - decreasing over time. As time (\(x\)) increases, the total recycling collected (\(y\)) is either increasing or staying the same (but in the context of a program that is supposed to increase recycling, we assume it is increasing).
• Fourth graph: The \(y -\)value (total recycling collected) is decreasing over time. This is the opposite of what the problem description says.

Answer:

The third graph.