Question

The table gives heavy – metal nuclear waste (in thousands of metric tons) from spent reactor fuel now stored temporarily at reactor sites, awaiting permanent storage.

Let x = 0 represent 1995, x = 5 represent 2000 (since 2000 – 1995 = 5), and so on.
a) For 1995, the ordered pair is (0, 32). Write the ordered pair for the data for the other years given in the table.

b) Plot the ordered pairs (x,y). Do the points lie approximately in a straight line?

c) Use the ordered pairs (0, 32) and (25, 76) to find the equation of a line that approximates the other ordered pairs. Write the equation in slope – intercept form and in standard form.

d) Use the slope – intercept equation form from part (c) to estimate the amount of nuclear waste in 2005.

Answer 1