The following table shows the number of customer complaints against a U.S. car rental company during the given year: Use interpolation to estimate the number of customer complaints during 2006.
A)1374
B)1420
C)1487
D)1525

Question

The following table shows the number of customer complaints against a U.S. car rental company during the given year:  Use interpolation to estimate the number of customer complaints during 2006.
A)1374 
B)1420 
C)1487 
D)1525

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Using linear interpolation, we can estimate the number of customer complaints in 2006 as follows:
- Find the difference between the number of complaints in 2004 and 2005: 1453 - 1511 = -58
- Find the difference between the number of complaints in 2005 and 2007: 1511 - 1370 = 141
- Divide the first difference by the sum of both differences: -58 / (141 - (-58)) = 0.322
- Multiply the result by the second difference and add it to the number of complaints in 2005: 0.322 * 141 + 1511 = 1420.002
Rounding this value to the nearest integer gives us an estimated number of customer complaints of 1420 in 2006, which matches option B.

The Following Table Shows the Number of Customer Complaints Against