The Table Gives the High School Dropout Rate (As a Percent

Essay

The table gives the high school dropout rate (as a percent of enrollment) in the United States for the years 2002 to 2008. (Source: United States Census Bureau, 2008)

(a) Plot the data letting $x=2$ represent 2002, $x=3$ represent 2003, and so on.
(b) Find a function of the form $f(x)=a(x-h)^{2}+k$ that models this data. Let $(4,4.4)$ represent the vertex, and use (7,3.3) to determine the value of $a$ .
(c) Use the statistical capability of a graphing calculator to find the best-fitting quadratic function, $g$ , for this data. Graph both functions $g$ and $f$ from part (b) in the same window as the data points. Which function is the better fit?