The relationship between the year of graduation and the percentage of students who graduate in less than 5 years appears to be linear based on the given information. From 1994 to 2000, the percentage decreased from 45% to 41%.
Given two points, (1994, 45) and (2000, 41), we can derive a linear relationship. The general formula for a linear equation is y = mx + b, where m is the slope of the line and b is the y-intercept.
First, let's calculate the slope (m). The formula to calculate the slope between two points (x1, y1) and (x2, y2) is (y2 - y1) / (x2 - x1). In this case, the two points are (1994, 45) and (2000, 41).
So, m = (41 - 45) / (2000 - 1994) = -4/6 = -2/3.
The y-intercept (b) is the value of y when x is 0. We can find it by rearranging the equation and solving for b: b = y - mx. Substituting the values from one of the points, let's use (1994, 45):
b = 45 - (-2/3 * 1994) = 45 + 2/3 * 1994 = 45 + 1328 = 1373.
So, the equation that represents the relationship between the year of graduation and the percentage of students who graduate in less than 5 years is:
y = -2/3x + 1373
Where:
- y is the percentage of students who graduate in less than 5 years,
- x is the year of graduation.