12.59 Age and death rate Let x denote a person’s age and let y be the death rate, measured as the number of deaths per thousand individuals of a fixed age within a period of a year. For women in a European country, these variables follow approximately the equation yn = 0.3411.0812x.

a. Interpret 0.34 and 1.081 in this equation.

b. Find the predicted death rate when age is (i) 25, (ii) 55, and (iii) 80.

c. After how many years does the death rate double?
(Hint: What is x such that 11.0812x = 2?)