In 2012, there were approximately 980 thousand
restaurants in the United States. In 2016, there
were 1046 thousand restaurants. (Source: National
Restaurant Association)

a. Write an equation describing the relationship
between time and the number of restaurants. Use
ordered pairs of the form (years past 2012, number
of restaurants in thousands).
b. Use this equation to predict the number of eating
establishments in 2018