In a certain town the annual consumption, b, of beef (in pounds per person) can be estimated by $b = 36 - 0.5 t$ where t is the number of years since 2010. Find and interpret the b-intercept of the graph of this function.
A) 36; The annual consumption of beef in this town was 36 pounds per person in 2010.
B) 72; The annual consumption of beef in this town was 72 pounds per person in 2010.
C) 72; If this trend continues, the annual consumption of beef in this town will be zero pounds per person in the year 2082.
D) 36; If this trend continues, the annual consumption of beef in this town will be zero pounds per person in the year 2046.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The b-intercept occurs when $t = 0$, which corresponds to the year 2010. Substituting $t = 0$ into the equation $b = 36 - 0.5t$ gives $b = 36$, indicating that the annual consumption of beef was 36 pounds per person in 2010.

In a Certain Town the Annual Consumption, B, of Beef b=36−0.5tb = 36 - 0.5 tb=36−0.5t

In a Certain Town the Annual Consumption, B, of Beef $b = 36 - 0.5 t$