Math  /  Algebra

QuestionThe population of the world in 1987 was 5 billion and the annual growth rate was estimated at 2 percent per year. Assuming that the world population follows an exponential growth model, find the projected world population in 1989. Your answer is \square billion

Studdy Solution

STEP 1

What is this asking? If the world population grows by **2%** each year, starting from **5 billion** in 1987, what will the population be in 1989? Watch out! Don't forget that two years pass between 1987 and 1989!

STEP 2

1. Find the growth factor.
2. Calculate the population in 1988.
3. Calculate the population in 1989.

STEP 3

We're given that the annual growth rate is **2%**.
This means each year, the population is multiplied by 1+0.02=1.021 + 0.02 = \mathbf{1.02}.
This is our **growth factor**!
It's what we multiply by to get the next year's population.

STEP 4

We **start** with a population of 55 billion in 1987.

STEP 5

To find the population in 1988, we **multiply** the 1987 population by the **growth factor** we found earlier: 51.02=5.15 \cdot 1.02 = \mathbf{5.1} So, the population in 1988 is 5.1\mathbf{5.1} billion.

STEP 6

Now, we'll do the same thing again to find the population in 1989.
We'll **multiply** the 1988 population by our **growth factor** of 1.021.02: 5.11.02=5.2025.1 \cdot 1.02 = \mathbf{5.202} Therefore, the projected world population in 1989 is 5.202\mathbf{5.202} billion!

STEP 7

The projected world population in 1989 is 5.202\mathbf{5.202} billion.

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