Westonci.ca is the premier destination for reliable answers to your questions, provided by a community of experts. Experience the convenience of getting accurate answers to your questions from a dedicated community of professionals. Experience the convenience of finding accurate answers to your questions from knowledgeable experts on our platform.

Official unemployment rates for the U.S. population are reported on a monthly basis by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For the period October, 2011, through January, 2012, the official unemployment rates were 8.9% (Oct.), 8.7% (Nov.), 8.5% (Dec.), and 8.3% (Jan.). (Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, www.bls.gov.) If the unemployment rates were to continue to decrease following a linear model, (a) predict the unemployment rate on January, 2013. (b) predict when the United States would reach a zero unemployment rate.

Sagot :

Step-by-step explanation:

Clearly, there is a common difference between the monthly employment rates:

8.7% - 8.9% = -0.2%

8.5% - 8.7% = -0.2%

8.3% - 8.5% = -0.2%

a) So, for every month x, the percentage will go down 0.2%, starting at 8.9%. So, we can make this equation:

y = -0.2x + 9.1, where x = 1 would be October 2011.

January 2013 is 16 months after October 2011, so:

y = -0.2(16) + 9.1

y = 5.9%

b) To find when the unemployment rate will be zero, we set the equation equal to zero:

0 = -0.2x + 9.1

-0.2x = -9.1

x = 45.5 months

So, rounding up, the U.S. would reach a zero unemployment rate in 46 months or around September 2014? Not completely sure.

We hope you found what you were looking for. Feel free to revisit us for more answers and updated information. Thank you for your visit. We're committed to providing you with the best information available. Return anytime for more. Westonci.ca is here to provide the answers you seek. Return often for more expert solutions.