16Hit1600
Problem-Solving and Data AnalysisHardPredicting from a line through data

Problem-Solving and Data Analysis practice question

x (minutes): 2, 4, 6, 8 y (pages): 15, 23, 31, 39

The table shows the number of pages y a student had read x minutes after starting a book. The data lie exactly on a line. According to the line, how many pages will the student have read after 15 minutes?

Answer: 67

Slope: (23 − 15)/(4 − 2) = 4 pages per minute. Then y = 4x + 7 (since 15 = 4(2) + 7). At x = 15: 4(15) + 7 = 67.

Common wrong answers

If you answered 60
60 uses y = 4x, forgetting the 7 pages already read at x = 0.
If you answered 63
63 is the value at x = 14.
If you answered 75
75 uses a slope of 5 instead of (23 − 15)/(4 − 2) = 4.

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