Question 2
Because of the growth in the town’s population, the agricultural department kept track of the town’s native bee population during the same time period. They feared with the increase of people in the town, the bee population would start to decrease, affecting the ecosystem. Their data is shown in the table.

Years Bee Population
(in thousands)
0 320
1 225
2 152.6
3 111.2
4 75
5 56.8
6 36.7
7 26.9
8 17.5
9 13.2
Use the graphing tool to plot the population data and determine the curve of best fit.

Part A
Question
What is the equation of the curve of best fit for the population data?

Enter the correct answer in the box by replacing a and b with the values from the graphing tool. Do not round the values of a and b.