Final answer:
The predicted world population for the year 2024 is calculated using the rule of 70 and a growth rate inferred from the doubling time of 43 years, resulting in a predicted population of 8.4 billion when rounded to one decimal place.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question is asking us to predict the world population in future years based on a given doubling time. Using a doubling time of 43 years to calculate the expected population, we can predict that the population in 2024 would be as follows:
Starting with a 2013 estimated world population of 7.1 billion and a doubling time of 43 years, we would not expect the population to have doubled by 2024, since that is only an 11-year difference. However, we can estimate the growth using the rule of 70, a simplified way to estimate the number of years required to double the population at a constant annual growth rate. Assuming a growth rate of 1.6% (which is approximately 70/43), the population in 2024 can be found using this formula:
New population = Current population × (1 + growth rate)^(time in years)
Therefore: New population = 7.1 billion × (1 + 0.016)^(2024-2013)
New population = 7.1 billion × (1 + 0.016)^11
New population = 7.1 billion × 1.187
New population = 8.427 billion (not rounded)
Rounding to one decimal place, the predicted population in 2024 would be 8.4 billion.