The average rate of change measures how much the output changes per one unit of input. Here, the input is time in hours after 6:00 a.m., and the output is the number of vehicles stopped at the toll booth. The two given points are A=(1,49.4) and B=(4,45.8). Use the average rate of change formula: (y

2

​

−y

1

​

)/(x

2

​

−x

1

​

). Substituting the coordinates gives (45.8−49.4)/(4−1). The numerator is −3.6, and the denominator is 3, so the average rate of change is −1.2. The negative sign means the number of vehicles decreased over the interval.