Question

Suppose a virologist wants to determine how many people a particular disease in the next 5 years would affect. The virologist knows that 3500 people currently are infected with the disease, and the spread of the disease has a growth rate of 0.09. It is also possible to determine the future amount of infected people.

Answer 1

The virologist predicts that approximately 5,422 people will be affected by the disease in the next 5 years.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine how many people a particular disease will affect in the next 5 years, the virologist can use exponential growth.

The formula for exponential growth is given by the equation: P(t) = P(0) * (1 + r)^t, ( where P(t) is the future population, P(0) is the initial population, r is the growth rate, and t is the time in years).

In this case, the initial population is 3500, the growth rate is 0.09, and the time is 5 years.

Plugging these values into the equation will give the future population.

P(t) = 3500 * (1 + 0.09)^5

= 3500 * 1.09^5

= 3500 * 1.609

= 5,422

Therefore, the virologist predicts that the disease will affect approximately 5,422 people in the next 5 years.