Lead emissions are a major source of air pollution. Using data gathered by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in the 1990s, it can be shown that the formula

estimates the total amount of lead emission N (in thousands of tons) occurring in the United States t years after the base year 1990.

a. Sketch the graph of the pollution function N(t).

b. Approximately how much lead emission did the formula predict for the year 1995? (The actual amount was about 3,924 thousand tons.)

c. Based on this formula, when during the decade 1990–2000 would you expect the maximum lead emission to have occurred?

d. Can this formula be used to accurately predict the current level of lead emission? Explain.

Transcribed Image Text:

N(t) = -35² + 299t + 3,347