Final answer:
The subject of this question is Mathematics, specifically exponential growth and population functions. The given functions represent the population of two forests of trees over time.
Step-by-step explanation:
The subject of this question is Mathematics. Specifically, it relates to the study of exponential growth and population functions. The given functions a(t) = 115(1.021)^t and b(t) = 85(1.027)^t represent the population of two different forests of trees over time.
To evaluate the growth in 10 years for both forests, we can substitute t = 10 into the respective functions. For a(t), we have a(10) = 115(1.021)^10, and for b(t), we have b(10) = 85(1.027)^10.
We can calculate the values for a(10) and b(10) using a calculator or by using the exponential growth formula, where the base is the growth factor per year in parentheses and the exponent is the number of years. The resulting values will give us the population estimates for both forests after 10 years.