Question

The numbers of workers in farm
work force in the United States for selected years from
1955 to 2000, as percents ofthe total work force, are shown
in the table. (Source: Departmenl of Conmerce)
Year 1955 1960 1965 r970 r975
Percent 9.9 7.8 5.9 4.2 3.6
Year 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000
Percent 3.1 2.8 2.6 2.6 1.7
A mathematical model for the data is given by
y=-4.97 + 0.021t/1-0.025t
where y represents the percent and t represents the year,
with t =55 correspondingto 1955.
(a) Compare the actual percents with those given by the
model. How good is the model?

Answer 1

(b) Use the model to predict the farm work force as a
percent of the total work force in 2010.
(c) Discuss the validity of your prediction in part (b)