Thetablebelowshowsfluctuationsinthenumberofconveniencestoresnationwidefrom2008to2011basedonaquantitativesurveyofconveniencestores.

Trytodrawagraph.Whatinterpretationscanyoudrawfromthegraph?

Right-click on the data inthe graph, selectAdd Trendline > Linear and use the linearexpression to try to get the approximation formula that indicatestrends. Does it seempossibletotellwhatthetrendislikefromtheequation?CanyoupredictfromtheequationhowmanystorestherewillbeinDecember2012?

Year	Period	Numberof stores	Year	Period	Numberof stores
2008	January	40,889	2010	January	42,704
February	41,105	February	42,919
March	41,204	March	42,815
April	41,356	April	42,865
May	41,398	May	42,879
June	41,367	June	42,889
July	41,443	July	42,995
August	41,643	August	43,270
September	41,566	September	43,281
October	41,559	October	43,268
November	41,666	November	43,291
December	41,714	December	43,372
2009	January	41,800	2011	January	43,393
February	42,047	February	43,636
March	42,004	March	43,492
April	42,070	April	43,492
May	42,153	May	43,560
June	42,204	June	43,541
July	42,345	July	43,690
August	42,557	August	43,985
September	42,487	September	43,969
October	42,553	October	44,062
November	42,673	November	44,250
December	42,629	December	44,403

Source:JapanFranchiseAssociation