The speed of a car traveling on a highway is being recorded once per second for two minutes. During this time interval, the car gradually speeds up slightly to pass another vehicle, then the car returns to its original speed. The recorded speed of the car with respect to time can be modeled by linear, quadratic, and exponential functions. For each of the three models, their residuals are small and are without pattern. Which of the following conclusions is best?
a) The car's speed is best modeled by a linear function because it gradually speeds up and returns to its original speed.
b) The car's speed is best modeled by a quadratic function because it gradually speeds up and then returns to its original speed.
c) The car's speed is best modeled by an exponential function because it gradually speeds up and then returns to its original speed.
d) None of the conclusions can be drawn based solely on the information provided
