B. quadratic. To determine whether a function is linear, quadratic, or exponential without graphing, examine the first, second, and third differences between the terms. If the first differences remain constant, the function is linear; if the second differences are constant, it is quadratic; if the third differences are constant, it is cubic. If the fourth differences do not remain constant, the function may be exponential. Here, the first differences are not constant, ruling out linearity. However, the second differences are constant (around $0.18 each), indicating a quadratic function. The accompanying graph supports that the points closely align with a quadratic model.
The provided equation illustrates the total distance Michael covered during an afternoon of sledding. In this equation, u represents the hours spent climbing the hill, while (u – 2) reflects the hours spent sledding down. To find the solution: The correct choice is D.
