Final answer:
It will take 8 years for the populations of the two towns to be the same.
Step-by-step explanation:
To solve this problem, we'll set up an equation to find the number of years it takes for the populations of the two towns to be the same. Let x represent the number of years.
For the first town, the population can be represented by the equation P = 25,500 + 2000x, where P is the population.
For the second town, the population can be represented by the equation P = 47,900 - 800x.
Setting the two population equations equal to each other, we have:
25,500 + 2000x = 47,900 - 800x
Combining like terms, we get:
2800x = 22,400
Dividing both sides by 2800, we find:
x = 8
Therefore, it will take 8 years for the populations of the two towns to be the same.