Example 3

The following graph shows how the value of a stock has changed over a period of time. What is the average rate of change from 2010 to 2015?
1. Determine the interval to be observed. 2. Identify the initial point of the interval. 3. Identify the endpoint of the interval. 4. Substitute the coordinates of the two points into the slope formula to calculate the average rate of change. This applet is provided by Walch Education as supplemental material for their mathematics programs. Visit www.walch.com for more information.