Question

The population of Russia declined from about 146 million people in 2000 to about 143 million people in 2007. Calculate the average rate of change (slope) for the population of Russia over this time period.

Answer 1

The average rate of change in Russia's population from 2000 to 2007 was approximately -0.43 million people per year, indicating a decline in population.

Step-by-step explanation:

To calculate the average rate of change or slope of the population of Russia between 2000 and 2007, we need to look at the change in population relative to the change in time. The population decreased from 146 million to 143 million during this period, so the change in population (Δpopulation) is 143 million - 146 million = -3 million. The change in time (Δtime) is 2007 - 2000 = 7 years.

The formula for average rate of change is:

\(\text{Average rate of change} = \frac{\Delta \text{population}}{\Delta \text{time}}\)

Using the values we have:

\(\text{Average rate of change} = \frac{-3 \text{ million}}{7 \text{ years}} = \frac{-3}{7} \text{ million per year}\)

The average rate of change in Russia's population from 2000 to 2007 is approximately -0.43 million people per year. This negative value indicates that the population was decreasing on average by 430,000 people each year during this time period.