In just three and a half years, Donald Trump has made over 20,000 false or misleading statements according to the Fact Checkers at The Washington Post.
Here is a chronology of some of the benchmarks:
100 days: 492 false statements
466 days: 3,001 false statements
601 days: 5,000 false statements
649 days: 6,420 false statements
827 days: 10,000 false statements
1,226 days: 19,127 false statements
1,267 days: 20,000 false statements
Click here to read the articles from the Fact Checkers
Using the first and last data points above, (100, 492) and (1267, 20000), determine the following equations that would contain those two points:
(1) the exponential equation y = a bx
(2) the linear equation y = mx + b
Then determine which of these two functions is closest to (827 days, 10000 lies).
Update: The Fact Checker counted a total of 30,573 false or misleading claims made by President Trump during his White House tenure.
Click here for
the Washington Post article
Perhaps, Thomas Jefferson's quote is appropriate: "He who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it the second time."
Solution to the Problem:
(1) The exponential equation is: y = 358.166 (1.00318)x(2) The linear equation is: y = 16.716 x - 1179.636
The point (827, 10000) is closer to the linear equation.
To solve for the exponential equation:
492 = a b100
20000 = a b1267
Dividing, we get: 20000 / 492 = b1167
So b = 1.00318 and a = 358.166
When you substitute 827 for x, you get y = 4,947, which is 5,053 away from 10,000.
To solve for the linear equation:
m = (20000 - 492) / (1267 - 100) = 16.71636
So, b = -1179.636
When you substitute 827 for x, you get y = 12,644, which is 2,644 away from 10,000.
Click here to see the excellent chart provided by Colin Bowey
Correctly solved by:
| 1. Colin (Yowie) Bowey | Beechworth, Victoria, Australia |
| 2. Kelly Stubblefield | Mobile, Alabama |