Benny Romero Generate a double-spaced Romero 1

Smith 1st
report of a minimum of 500
Algebra II
09/26/2014
words.

A problem that can be fixed

Its pretty evident the earth is doomed, because of the way humans have treated the past

two centuries, but there is a solution. For my Algebra II class, I was assigned to pick two

variables in the real world related to each other to graph linear regression. We have to write a

report, along with a graph of the data we collected, along with a display of our work. So, the two

variables I chose are municipal solid waste and years (over a period of time). This data could

reveal patterns and the amount of waste we produce, which is a lot, but with if we can identify

what were doing wrong we can fix that problem and reduce the amount of waste generated

annually. Also, this information may be relevant to garbage collectors, or waste management or

the EPA, or City Council members who could use this graph to improve the well being of their

city, state, country, and planet. And, they can make improvisations on the way waste is handled

and disposed of. Anyway, everyone is trying to go green, because of overused landfills, and

global warming, so I find this information interesting and useful. Below, this graph shows waste

produced over the years starting in 1960. Unfortunately, I couldnt find data that was up to dates

this will have to suffice. But, I was shocked at the numbers; I didnt expect the municipal solid
Benny Romero Romero 2
Smith 1st
Algebra II
September 26th, 2014
waste amount to increase so dramatically.

325

253.7
243.5 250.9
250.4
260
217.3
208.3
195 166.3
151.6
Value Title 127.8
121.1
130 104.4
Municipal
88.1 Solid Waste (milliontons)

65

0
1943 1960 1978 1995 2013 2030

Category Title

The equation that can closely fit this graph would be y= 3.48706X - 6747.7141

,because the scatter plot clusters seem to have a resemblance to a straight line, which

would classify it as a linear function. And, using this equation, I plugged in future x-
Benny Romero Romero 2
Smith 1st
Algebra II
September 26th, 2014
values (years) such as 2017, 2022, and 2027. After this, I received my y-values

( municipal solid waste), which was 285.7 million-tons, 303.1 million-tons, and 320.6

million-tons. Also, through the process of inputting my equation in the calculator, I

found that my r value is .98622, which means my equation is 98.6% accurate to the

graph, which is good, because I needed to get as close to the number 1 as possible.

The interpreted slope of the graph, after solving it out, appears to be 1 3/100. In

addition, the interpreted y-intercept seems to be 163, because the plotted point is pretty

much on the line.

Benny Romero Romero 3
Smith 1st
Algebra II
September 26th, 2014
In conclusion, clearly, we have been generating an increasing annual amount of

municipal solid waste, and there needs to be ann efficient solution so that we can reduce

these numbers and hopefully reverse some of the effects induced on our planet. For

example, in the graph, it indicates in 1960, we produced 88.1 million tons of municipal

solid waste, and in 2012, we produced a whopping 250.9 million tons, which is a

tremendous bump over a time period of 52 years. But, to stop this, we all need to accept

the fact that we produce way too much trash, and then, we need to collaborate to find an

ambiguous answer. First, I determined whether the graph seemed to curve, or sat a

straight line. I decided the line was pretty straight, then I had to choose which linear

equation matched the graph, which tuned out to be the linear parent function.Then, I

had to check if the equation fitted the graph by finding the r and r2 values, which turned

out accurate. Now that I knew what my equation was I could predict future x-values

( or amounts of MSW), which I was required to do for three points. So in the end, the

data is accurate, and the graph is accurate, and the equation is accurate, which really

wasnt difficult to do, and I hope others can use this information for a good purpose,

such as minimizing trash.

Work cited:

"MunicipalSolidWaste."EPA.EnvironmentalProtectionAgency,n.d.Web.29
Sept.2014.