Dependence on foreign oil: America’s dependency on foreign oil has always been a “hot” pol...

Dependence on foreign oil: America’s dependency on foreign oil has always been a “hot” political topic, with the amount of imported oil fluctuating over the years due to political climate, public awareness, the economy, and other factors. The amount of crude oil imported can be approximated by the function given, where A(t) represents the number of barrels imported in year t(in billions), with 1980 corresponding to year 0.

a. Use A(t) to estimate the number of barrels imported in the years 1983, 1989, 1995, and 2005. If this trend continues, how many barrels will be imported in 2015?

b. What was the minimum number of barrels imported between 1980 and 1988?

Source: 2004 Statistical Abstract of the United States, Table 897; various other years.