To find the rate of change, we can use the formula for the slope of a linear function:
m = (y2 - y1)/(x2 - x1)
Using the values from the table:
m = (8 - 4)/(-3 - 1)
m = 4/-4
m = -1
So, the rate of change is -1.
To find the initial value (y-intercept), we can plug one of the points into the formula for a linear function:
y = mx + b
Using the point (1,4):
4 = -1(1) + b
4 = -1 + b
b = 5
So, the initial value is 5.