Source:
At the end of 1993, scientists tracked 1550 nonfunctional components in orbit and projected 42 such objects are added each year. Suppose that an average of 15 of these are brought back to Earth each year.
Question:
Write the function "R" that models the total number of components that are brought back to Earth year.
To write the function "R" that models the total number of components brought back to Earth each year, we need to consider the initial number of components, the rate at which components are added, and the rate at which components are brought back.
Given that at the end of 1993, there were 1550 nonfunctional components, and 42 more objects are projected to be added each year, we can start by defining the initial number of components as 1550.
Next, we need to consider the rate at which components are brought back. According to the information provided, an average of 15 of these components are brought back to Earth each year.
Based on this information, we can conclude that the rate of change in the number of components brought back each year is -15, as it represents a decrease in the number of components.
Therefore, the function "R" that models the total number of components brought back to Earth each year can be expressed as follows:
R(x) = 1550 + (-15)(x)
In this function, "x" represents the number of years after 1993. By plugging in different values of "x", we can determine the total number of components that are brought back to Earth year.