For the past ten years, Michelle has been tracking the average annual rainfall in Boynton Beach, Florida by recording her data in the given table. She has concluded that the relationship can be modeled by a linear function.
Year 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Average Rainfall(in inches) 62.33 61.8 61.27 60.74 60.21 59.68 59.15 58.62 58.09 57.56
Based on the data provided in Michelle's table, use complete sentences to explain how the average rate of change in Boynton Beach's rainfall for the years 2004-2013 can be found. Use the data provided in the table to calculate the average rate of change in precipitation.
Use complete sentences to explain what the average rate of change means in terms of the average rainfall.
To find the average rate of change in Boynton Beach's rainfall for the years 2004-2013, we need to analyze the data provided in Michelle's table. The average rate of change can be found by calculating the difference in precipitation between the first and last years, and then dividing by the number of years that have passed.
First, let's look at the first year (2004) and the last year (2013) in the table. In 2004, the average rainfall was 62.33 inches, and in 2013, it was 57.56 inches. To find the difference in rainfall between these two years, subtract the rainfall in 2013 from the rainfall in 2004: 62.33 - 57.56 = 4.77 inches.
Next, we need to divide this difference by the number of years that have passed between 2004 and 2013, which is 9 years: 4.77 ÷ 9 = 0.53 inches per year.
The average rate of change in precipitation in Boynton Beach for the years 2004-2013 is -0.53 inches per year. This means that, on average, the annual rainfall in Boynton Beach has been decreasing by 0.53 inches each year over this time period.