Chapter 1.2, Problem 23E

Bald eagle population Since DDT was banned and the Endangered Species Act was passed in 1973, the number of bald eagles in the United States has increased dramatically (see figure). In the lower 48 states, the number of breeding pairs of bald eagles increased at a nearly linear rate from 1875 pairs in 1986 to 6471 pairs in 2000.

1. a. Use the data points for 1986 and 2000 to find a linear function p that models the number of breeding pairs from 1986 to 2000 (0 ≤ t ≤ 14).
2. b. Using the function in part (a), approximately how many breeding pairs were in the lower 48 states in 1995?

(Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)