Find a Power Function That Models the Data in the Table

question 216

Multiple Choice

Find a power function that models the data in the table. Round to three decimal places if necessary.
-The population of a small town is given by the table. $\begin{array}{r|rrrr}\text { Year } & 1980 & 1990 & 2000 & 2010 \\\hline \mathrm{P} & 7500 & 7513 & 7552 & 7617\end{array}$

If the population is modeled by $\mathrm { p } ( \mathrm { t } ) = \mathrm { at } ^ { 2 } + \mathrm { b }$ where $\mathrm { t }$ is in years and $\mathrm { t } = 0$ corresponds to the year 1980 and $t = 1$ corresponds the year 1990 , find $a$ .

• A) 26
• B) 30
• C) 15
• D) 13

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Definitions:

Times Interest Earned Ratio

A financial indicator assessing a company's capacity to pay its interest costs using its earnings before interest and taxes.

Year 2

Generally refers to the second year of operation, or the second year being considered in a multi-year analysis.

Debt-to-Equity Ratio

An indicator of the relative amounts of shareholders' equity and debt financing employed to support a company's assets.

Year 2

Not applicable as a key term for a specific definition without context.