Question

Recent studies indicate that the average surface temperature of a planet has been rising steadily. Some scientists have modeled the temperature by the linear function T = 0.01t + 8.7, where T is temperature in °C and t represents years since 1900.

Answer 1

Answer:

a) The average global surface temperature in 2100 is 10.7°C

b) b) The slope of the function, 0.01, represents the rate of yearly increase of average surface temperature on the planet and the intercept represents the average surface temperature on the planet in 1900 (the reference year that the average surface temperature for subsequent years are calculated with respect to).

Step-by-step explanation:

T = 0.01t + 8.7

To predict the temperature of the planet in the year 2100.

We will calculate the number of years that 2100 is, since 1900

t = 2100 - 1900 = 200 years

T = (0.01 × 200) + 8.7 = 10.7°C

The average global surface temperature in 2100 is 10.7°C

b) The slope of the function, 0.01, represents the rate of yearly increase of average surface temperature on the planet and the intercept represents the average surface temperature on the planet in 1900 (the reference year that the average surface temperature for subsequent years are calculated with respect to).