-1. The table shows the annual consumption of cheese per person in the United States for selected years in the 20th century. Let x = number of years since 1900, and y = pounds per person.


Year Pounds Consumed

1912 4.976

1932 8.717

1969 16.997

1979 21.705


What cubic model best fits this data?


-2. The table shows the annual consumption of cheese per person in the U.S. for selected years in the 20th century.


Year Pounds Consumed

1913 4.468

1926 5.56

1955 4.778

1990 10.905


Use a cubic model to estimate milk production in 1989.

A20.9
B10.5
C14.5
D6.5

-3. Use synthetic division to find P(-1) for P(x)=x^4+x^3+4x^2-10x+4

A-1
B-16
C18
D8

Verified Answer :

Using processing software (Excel) or even a decent scientific calculator. You input the values and generate the best fit cubic equation.
For number 1, the equation is
y = 8x10
⁻⁵ x³ - 0.0097 x² + 0.374 x + 1.083
where x is the number of years since 1900
y is the pounds cheese consumed

For number 2, the equation is
y = -3x10⁻⁵ x³ + 0.0028 x² + 0.2155 x + 1.7736

For number 3
P(-1) = 18