Final answer:
The rat population in a major metropolitan city in 2003 was 77 million, as found by substituting t=0 into the exponential growth formula n(t) = 77e^0.03t.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the rat population in a major metropolitan city in 2003, we use the given exponential growth formula n(t) = 77e^0.03t, where t is the number of years since 2003. Since we want to determine the population in the year 2003, we will set t to 0. Plugging in the values, we get:
n(0) = 77e^0.03(0)
n(0) = 77e^0
n(0) = 77 × 1
n(0) = 77
Therefore, the rat population in 2003 was 77 million.