Thread: [SOLVED] REALLY hard supply and demand equation

Pasta Imports-- During the period 1990-2001, U.S. imports of pasta increased from 290 million pounds in 1990(t=0) by an average of 40 million pounds/year.
a) Use these data to express q, the annual U.S. imports of pasta(in millions of pounds), as a linear function of t, the number of years since 1990.
b)Use your model to estimate U.S. pasta imports in 2005, assuming the import trend continues.

HELP!! Please!

Linear function only?
Okay.

Are you familiar with y = mx +b ?
That is the slope-intercept form of the equation of a line.
Adapting that to your question here,

q(t) = 290 +40*t ----------answer.

Where
q(t) is "q of t", is q as a function of t, is in million lbs.
t is in years, based from year 1990.

-----------------
When t = 0, or in 1990,
q(0) = 290 +40*0
q(0) = 290 million lbs. -------this is given.

In year 2005,
t = 2005 -1990 = 15 years
So,
q(15) = 290 +40(15)
q(15) = 290 +600
q(15) = 890 million lbs --------answer.