Explanation
Correct answer: 257.
It's given that a linear model estimates the population of a city from to . Since the population can be estimated using a linear model, it follows that there is a constant rate of change for the model. It's also given that the model estimates the population was thousand in , thousand in , and thousand in . The change in the population between and is , or , thousand. The change in the number of years between and is , or , years. Dividing by gives , or , thousand per year. Thus, the change in population per year from to estimated by the model is thousand. The change in the number of years between and is , or , years. Multiplying the change in population per year by the change in number of years yields the increase in population from to estimated by the model: , or , thousand. Adding the change in population from to estimated by the model to the estimated population in yields the estimated population in . Thus, the estimated population in is , or , thousand. Therefore to the nearest whole number, the value of is .
Desmos solution:
Note: The regression fits the 2015 population as 257.4 thousand, which rounds to 257.
Enter in Desmos:
Reviewed and rewritten by CookSAT