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Exercises Functions

Example 1 from Algebra and Trigonometry, 3.3 Rates of Change and Behavior of Graphs

Computing an Average Rate of Change

Using the data in Table 1, find the average rate of change of the price of gasoline between 2007 and 2009.

Work it out on paper first. Then open the solution one step at a time, and stop as soon as you can finish on your own.

Solution
In 2007, the price of gasoline was $2.84. In 2009, the cost was $2.41. The average rate of change is

$\begin{matrix} \frac{Δ y}{Δ x} & = & \frac{y_{2} - y_{1}}{x_{2} - x_{1}} \\ = & \frac{$ 2.41 - $ 2.84}{2009 - 2007} \\ = & \frac{- $ 0.43}{2 years} \\ = & - $ 0.22 per year \end{matrix}$

Your turn

The book's Try It right after this example: same idea, new numbers. Only the answer is given.

Using the data in Table 1, find the average rate of change between 2005 and 2010.

How did it go?

PreviousGraphing a Piecewise Function Next Computing Average Rate of Change from a Graph

From Algebra and Trigonometry (1st edition) by OpenStax (Rice University), section 3.3, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Original at openstax.org. We split the solution into steps; the words, numbers and figures are the book's. OpenStax doesn't endorse this site.