Consider the data at right.
a. Calculate finite differences to find the degree of the polynomial function that models these data.

b. Describe how the degree of this polynomial function is related to the finite differences you calculated.
c. What is the minimum number of data points required to determine the degree of this polynomial function? Why?
d. Find the polynomial function that models these data and use it to find s when n is 12.
e. The values in the s row are called triangular numbers. Why do you think they are called triangular? (Find some pennies and try to arrange each number of pennies into a triangle.)

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