Question

A pond contains 500 fish, 100 of which you catch, tag, and release 35 fish back into the pond. Then, you catch 70 more fish, 12 of which have tags on them. What is the best estimate of the number of fish in the pond?

1) 100
2) 150
3) 142
4) 204

Answer 1

To estimate the number of fish in the pond, we can use the mark and recapture method. First, we catch 100 fish and tag them. Then, we release them back into the pond. Later, we catch 70 more fish and find that 12 of them have tags on them. Using a proportion, we can determine that the best estimate of the total number of fish in the pond is 60.

Step-by-step explanation:

To estimate the number of fish in the pond, we can use the mark and recapture method. First, we catch 100 fish and tag them. Then, we release them back into the pond. Later, we catch 70 more fish and find that 12 of them have tags on them.

To estimate the total number of fish in the pond, we can set up a proportion:

100 (number of tagged fish) / 500 (original number of fish) = 12 (number of tagged fish caught later) / x (best estimate of the total number of fish)

Cross multiplying and solving for x, we find:

x = (12 * 500) / 100 = 60

So, the best estimate of the number of fish in the pond is 60. Since none of the answer choices match 60, we can deduce that the correct answer is none of the given options.