U.S. imports of pasta increased from 290 million pounds in 1990 $( t = 0 )$ , by an average of 52 million pounds per year. Estimate U.S. pasta import (in million pounds) in the year 2005, assuming the import trend continued.
A)2,295 million pounds
B) 1,122 million pounds
C) 342 million pounds
D) 780 million pounds
E) 1,070 million pounds

Question

U.S. imports of pasta increased from 290 million pounds in 1990 $( t = 0 )$ , by an average of 52 million pounds per year. Estimate U.S. pasta import (in million pounds) in the year 2005, assuming the import trend continued.  
A)2,295 million pounds
B) 1,122 million pounds
C) 342 million pounds
D) 780 million pounds
E) 1,070 million pounds

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The year 2005 corresponds to $ t = 15 $ (since 2005 - 1990 = 15). The increase in imports each year is 52 million pounds. So, the total increase from 1990 to 2005 is $ 52 \times 15 = 780 $ million pounds. Adding this to the initial 290 million pounds gives $ 290 + 780 = 1,070 $ million pounds.

US Imports of Pasta Increased from 290 Million Pounds in 1990