Question

The African elephant is an endangered species, largely because poachers (people who illegally hunt elephants) kill elephants to sell the ivory from their tusks. In the African country of Kenya in the last 10 years, the elephant population has dropped from 150,000 to 30,000. Calculate the average rate of change."

Answer 1

The average rate of change of the elephant population in Kenya over the last 10 years is -12000 elephants per year.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the average rate of change of the elephant population in Kenya over the last 10 years, we need to determine the difference in population and divide it by the number of years. The initial population was 150,000 elephants, and the final population is 30,000 elephants. The time span is 10 years.

Rate of change = (Final population - Initial population) / Time span

Rate of change = (30000 - 150000) / 10

Rate of change = -12000 elephants per year

The average rate of change of the elephant population in Kenya over the last 10 years is -12000 elephants per year. This means that the population has been decreasing by an average of 12000 elephants per year.