Information regarding the history of the federal budget can be found on the World Wide Web. Go to the web site www.fedstats.gov. Click on "Fast Facts" and then on "Frequently Requested Tables." In the list of tables printed to the screen, find the table entitled "federal Budget-Summary." Click on it. When the federal budget table appears on the screen, look for the column that lists each year's surplus or deficit. You will see that a negative sign (-) is used to show a deficit. Note that it states near the top of the screen that the figure in the table are in millions of dollars.

1. During which years shown in the table was there a surplus?
2. During which year was the deficit the greatest?
3. Find the difference between the surplus or deficit this year and the surplus or deficit a decade ago?
4. Determine what two numbers in the table are being subtracted in each row in order to arrive at the number in the surplus or deficit column.
5. Describe the trend of the federal deficit over the last ten years.