Imagine the to the right shows some of the winning times (in minutes) of an annual race from 1954 to 2006, together with a linear approximation of the data  

(a) The equation for the linear approximation of this data is y= -0.02016x  + 54.05. What does the slope of this line represent? Why is the slope negative?

b) Use the approximation to estimate the winning time in 2022.

Q1) The slope of the line represents? (Choose best answer)

a.) The slope represents the winning time in 2000. The slope is negative since this winning time was negative

b.) The slope represents the year when the winning time was 10 minutes. The slope is negative since the year was before an initial point

c.) The slope represents the number of years it takes for the winning time to increase by a minute. The slope is negative since the winning time is decreasing

d.) The slope represents the rate at which the winning time is changing. The slope is negative since the winning time is decreasing

Q2.) Estimate the winning time in 2022.