Get answer: It is suspected that the high amounts of tannin in mature oak leaves inhibit

Chapter 3, Problem 19

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It is suspected that the high amounts of tannin in mature oak leaves inhibit the growth of the winter moth (Operophtera bromata L., Geometridae) larvae that extensively damage these trees in certain years. The following table lists the average weight of two samples of larvae at times in the first 28 days after birth. The first sample was reared on young oak leaves, whereas the second sample was reared on mature leaves from the same tree. a. Use Lagrange interpolation to approximate the average weight curve for each sample. b. Find an approximate maximum average weight for each sample by determining the maximum of the interpolating polynomial. Day 0 6 10 13 17 20 28 Sample 1 average weight (mg) 6.67 17.33 42.67 37.33 30.10 29.31 28.74 Sample 2 average weight (mg) 6.67 16.11 18.89 15.00 10.56 9.44 8.89