Rates of Change and Behavior of Graphs · Exercise 31

The table gives the population of a town (in thousands) from 2000 to 2008. What was the average rate of change of population (a) between 2002 and 2004, and (b) between 2002 and 2006?

$$\begin{array}{cc}\text{Year}& \text{Population (thousands)}\\ \text{2000}& \text{87}\\ \text{2001}& \text{84}\\ \text{2002}& \text{83}\\ \text{2003}& \text{80}\\ \text{2004}& \text{77}\\ \text{2005}& \text{76}\\ \text{2006}& \text{78}\\ \text{2007}& \text{81}\\ \text{2008}& \text{85}\end{array}$$

OpenStax, Algebra and Trigonometry 2e · §3.3 Rates of Change and Behavior of Graphs · Exercise 31