STOCK PRICES: Apple Inc. (stock symbol AAPL) produces popular products such as the iPhone, iPad, and MacBook laptop computers. The company was not always as wildly successful, however. Taking into account stock splits, prices (in dollars) for AAPL shares can be represented by the following piecewise-defined function:
S(t) = {14.7 + 0.6t if t <= 4
14.2t^2 - 128t + 304 if t > 4
where t is the number of years after 2000.
a. Using this function, what was the share price of AAPL in 1990 (when t = -10)? In 2006?
b. In what year does the function predict that AAPL shares first reached the $200 level?
c. What share value does the function predict for AAPL in the year 2012?