Question

a school administrator who was concerned about grade inflation looked over the number of straight - a students from year to year.
according to the table, when was the rate of change greater?
between 2011 and 2012

Explanation:

Step1: Calculate rate of change between 2011 - 2012

Use the formula for rate of change \(=\frac{y_2 - y_1}{x_2 - x_1}\). Here, \(y_2 = 79\), \(y_1=71\), \(x_2 = 2012\), \(x_1 = 2011\).

$$ \frac{79 - 71}{2012 - 2011}=\frac{8}{1}=8 $$

Step2: Calculate rate of change between 2014 - 2015

Here, \(y_2 = 48\), \(y_1 = 46\), \(x_2=2015\), \(x_1 = 2014\)

$$ \frac{48 - 46}{2015 - 2014}=\frac{2}{1}=2 $$

Step3: Compare the two rates

Since \(8>2\)

Answer:

The rate of change was greater between 2011 and 2012.