Between 1985 and 2003, data were collected every three years on the amount of plastic produced annually in the United States, in billions of pounds. The graph below shows the data and a line of best fit. The equation of the line of best fit is y = 3.39x + 46.89, where x is the number of years since 1985 and y is the amount of plastic produced annually, in billions of pounds.

Which of the following is closest to the percent increase in the billions of pounds of plastic produced in the United States from 2000 to 2003?

Options

A. `10%`
B. `44%`
C. `77%`
D. `110%`

Answer

A

Explanation

Since x is the number of years since 1985, the year 2000 corresponds to x = 15 and the year 2003 corresponds to x = 18. The corresponding points on the line of best fit are approximately (15, 98) and (18, 107). This means that approximately 98 billion pounds of plastic were produced in 2000 and approximately 107 billion pounds of plastic were produced in 2003. To calculate the percent increase, subtract the amount of plastic produced in 2000 from the amount of plastic produced in 2003 and then divide the result by the amount of plastic produced in 2000 and multiply by 100. This yields `((107-98)/98)`.100=9.2 , or approximately 10%.
Choices B and C are incorrect and may be the result of misreading the graph or making an arithmetic error. Choice D is incorrect and may be the result of approximating the amount of plastic produced, in billions of pounds, in the year 2003 (x = 18).