Let's revisit the calculation. The formula for the percent rate of change for exponential decay is \( (\lvert \text{base} \rvert - 1) \times 100\% \). For the function \( y = 9(0.54)^t \), the base is \( 0.54 \). \( (\lvert 0.54 \rvert - 1) \times 100\% = (0.54 - 1) \times 100\% = (-0.46) \times 100\% \) However, there seems to be a mistake here. The absolute value of \( 0.54 - 1 \) should be \( 1 - 0.54 \), which equals \( 0.46 \). So, \( (\lvert 0.54 \rvert - 1) \times 100\% = (1 - 0.54) \times 100\% = 0.46 \times 100\% = 46\% \). My apologies for the confusion earlier. The correct percent rate of change for exponential decay is indeed 46%.