Most of the headlines and/or article excerpts below can be interpreted in terms of first and second derivatives. For copyright reasons, only brief excerpts of each article are included. The paragraphs were chosen to illustrate the mathematical issues.
Questions to ask yourself:
What is the function being discussed? Meaning of the variables?
Is the first derivative positive, negative, zero, or undetermined?
Is the second derivative positive, negative, zero, or undetermined?
What would a graph of the function look like?
Is the headline accurate?
Credit woes rising, but at lower rate jpg Atlanta Journal Constitution, October 30, 1991
CD yields continue decline, but at a reduced pace jpg Atlanta Journal Constitution, April 24, 1991
First American continues losing, though not as badly jpg Atlanta Journal Constitution, October 31, 1991
The rate of increase is decreasing... jpg Shoe cartoon, December 7, 1991
Rate of marriage continues decline jpg The New York Times, July 17, 1992
The goal of a diet isn't losing weight, it's slowing down the gain jpg Garfield cartoon, July 24, 1992
Teen birth rates take first dip since '86 jpg Atlanta Journal Constitution, 1992
Decline of ozone-harming chemicals suggests atmosphere may heal itself jpg Washington Post, August 26, 1993
Congress is getting serious about rules for derivatives jpg Wall Street Journal, November 23, 1993
College Board Survey Finds Tuition and Fees Increase at Slower Pace in 1993-94
jpg College Board newsletter, 1993
Mortgage rates still climbing, but pace slows jpg Atlanta Journal Constitution, April 8, 1994
Tech sector still strong, but growth decelerating jpg Atlanta Journal Constitution, January 14, 1996
Boards add women at slower pace gif Atlanta Journal Constiution, December 12, 1996
Position/velocity/acceleration problem jpg For Better or For Worse cartoon, January 15, 1998
Decline in traditional families slowing jpg Atlanta Journal Constitution, May 28, 1998
Gas price hikes hit the brakes jpg CNN.com, October 11, 1998
September figures show continued growth, though at a slower rate jpg CNNfn.com, November 3, 1998
Slide of Internet stocks speeds up jpg Atlanta Journal Constitution, August 5, 1999
Inmate numbers rise, but at slower rate jpg The Boston Globe, August 16, 1999
Decline in AIDS deaths slows dramatically jpg CNN.com, August 30, 1999
Metro housing starts rise, but growth rate slowing jpg Atlanta Journal Constitution, September 17, 1999
Torrid school enrollment rates cool off jpg Atlanta Journal Constitution, January 1, 2000
U.S. gasoline price increase slowing, survey finds jpg CNN.com, June 25, 2000
U.S. growth expected to continue, but at slower pace jpg Atlanta Journal Constitution, October 1, 2000
Ultra seeks high-quality companies that are growing at an accelerating rate
jpg American Century report, 2000
China Growth rate slowing jpg Atlanta Journal Constitution, March 28, 2001
U.S. kids getting fatter at faster rate jpg Atlanta Journal Constitution, December 11, 2001
The Increase in Chip Speed is Accelerating, Not Slowing
jpg The New York Times, February 4, 2002
Hartsfield's drop in passengers appears to have decelerated
jpg Atlanta Journal Constitution, April 17, 2003
Ozone layer shows first signs of recovery jpg Atlanta Journal Constitution, July 30, 2003
Carbon dioxide in air at record high jpg Atlanta Journal Constitution, March 20, 2004
The growth in low-carbohydrate products is slowing jpg Atlanta Journal Constitution, August 18, 2004
Braves' gate hits dropoff jpg Atlanta Journal Constitution, September 26, 2004
Increased football injury risk jpg Sports Illustrated, October 11, 2004
September consumer prices pick up momentum jpg Associate Press (Yahoo! News), October 19, 2004
College costs rise at slower rate jpg Associated Press (Yahoo! News), October 19 2004
Public university tuition is up sharply for 2004 jpg New York Times Education Section (NYTimes.com), October 20, 2004