Question

The population of a new residential area in 2013 is 12 people. If the projected rate of increase in population is 10% annually, what would be the approximate projected population in 2018? Round answer to nearest whole number.

Answer 1

19

Explanation:

In 5 years, the population will be multiplied by 1.1^5 ≈ 1.61. It will be about ...

12 × 1.61 ≈ 19 . . . people

_____

The population is multiplied by a factor of 1.1 each year. The number of times that factor is used as a multiplier (its exponent) is the number of years between 2013 and 2018, which is 5.