Question

A town's population is 14,000 and it is increasing by 160 people every year. A nearby town has a population of 24,000, and it is decreasing by 240 people every year. After how many years will the populations of the towns be equal?

Answer 1

The populations of the two towns will be equal after 25 years.

Step-by-step explanation:

To determine when the populations of the two towns will be equal, we need to find the number of years it takes for the population of each town to be the same. Let's set up an equation:

Population of town A = 14,000 + 160x

Population of town B = 24,000 - 240x

Where x is the number of years.

Setting the two equations equal to each other: 14,000 + 160x = 24,000 - 240x

Combining like terms: 400x = 10,000

Dividing both sides by 400: x = 25

Therefore, it will take 25 years for the populations of the two towns to be equal.