The table shows the population of a school for the years 1992-2008.

Year: 1992, 1994 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004, 2006, 2008

Population: 628, 656, 692,751, 793, 840 ,868, 902, 940

Which is the best prediction for the population in 2012?

1000

1100 <--- or 1000?

1150

2010

Since the increase for any two years is never greater than 100, what would you say?

To make the best prediction for the population in 2012, we can analyze the given data to identify any patterns or trends. We can start by plotting the data points on a graph to visualize the population growth over the years.

By looking at the table, we observe that the population increases over time. To determine the best prediction for the population in 2012, we can examine the growth rate between each year and use it to project the population for 2012.

To do this, we calculate the average growth rate between each pair of consecutive years. For example, to find the growth rate between 1992 and 1994, we subtract the population of 1992 from the population of 1994, and divide it by the number of years (2):

(656 - 628) / 2 = 14

We repeat this calculation for all pairs of consecutive years:

(692 - 656) / 2 = 18
(751 - 692) / 2 = 29.5
(793 - 751) / 2 = 21
(840 - 793) / 2 = 23.5
(868 - 840) / 2 = 14
(902 - 868) / 2 = 17
(940 - 902) / 2 = 19

Next, we calculate the average growth rate by adding up all these growth rates and dividing by the number of calculations (which is 8 in this case):

(14 + 18 + 29.5 + 21 + 23.5 + 14 + 17 + 19) / 8 = 19.4375

Now, we can use this average growth rate to project the population in 2012. We add the calculated growth rate to the population in 2008:

940 + 19.4375 = 959.4375

Rounding off to the nearest whole number, we get a projected population of 959 for 2012.

None of the provided options (1000, 1100, 1150, or 2010) are exactly equal to the projected population of 959. However, the closest option is 1100. Therefore, the best prediction for the population in 2012, based on the given data, is 1100.