Calculate the average rate of change for the given graph from x = 0 to x = 3 and select the correct answer below.

Question

parabolic function going down from the left through the point zero comma six and turning at approximately the point two and one half comma negative one fourth and going up through the point three comma zero and continuing towards infinity Courtesy of Texas Instruments.

Possible Answers

6 

3

 −2 

2

Answer 1

The average rate of change is just the slope of the straight line connecting the end points of the interval, (0,y₁) and (3,y₂). You can read the values of y₁ and y₂ off of the graph at the points x = 0 and x = 3. Use the slope formula for a straight line from Algebra 1:

slope = (y₂-y₁)/(x₂-x₁) = (y₂-y₁)/(3-0) = ___?