Answer
2004
Work Step by Step
To find the year in which about 22 million bicycles were sold, substitute 22 for y in the equation.
$22=0.3x+15$
Create a table to solve the equation. The table will list possible values of x and the result when that value for x is used in the equation. Look for the result closest to 22.
$\underline x\ \ \ \ \underline{0.3x+15}$
$10\ \ \ \ \ \ 18$
$20\ \ \ \ \ \ 21$
$21\ \ \ \ \ \ 21.3$
$22\ \ \ \ \ \ 21.6$
$23\ \ \ \ \ \ 21.9\longrightarrow$ 23 years after the initial date is the nearest to 22 million
$24\ \ \ \ \ \ 22.2$
To find the actual year, you must add 1981 to the number of years since 1981.
$1981+23=2004$
