Question

the table shows the number of persons employed at a company for the last several years.
how would you best describe the pattern of change outlined in the table?
for the last three years, the number of new employees
increased by the same amount.
each year there are 3% more new employees than the
previous year.
each year there are 1.5% more new employees than
the previous.
each year, the number of new employees increases by
the same amount.

Explanation:

Step1: Calculate the increase in employees each year

• From 1999 - 2000: \(185 - 180=5\)
• From 2000 - 2001: \(205 - 185 = 20\)
• From 2001 - 2002: \(216 - 205=11\)
• From 2002 - 2003: \(224 - 216 = 8\)
• From 2003 - 2004: \(232 - 224=8\)
• From 2004 - 2005: \(240 - 232 = 8\)

Since the increase in the number of employees from 2002 - 2003, 2003 - 2004 and 2004 - 2005 is the same (i.e., 8 employees each year).

Answer:

For the last three years, the number of new employees increased by the same amount.