Final answer:
To predict the weight of the catfish after 7 weeks with a weekly growth rate of 24.5%, we use the exponential growth formula and calculate it to be approximately 1.37 pounds when rounded to two decimals.
Step-by-step explanation:
To predict the weight of a channel catfish after 7 weeks, given that it initially weighs 0.5 pounds and increases by about 24.5% each week, we can use the formula for exponential growth: final weight = initial weight × (1 + growth rate)number of weeks. The growth rate in this case is 24.5%, which as a decimal is 0.245.
Now let's calculate:
- Convert the percentage increase to a decimal by dividing 24.5 by 100: 0.245.
- Calculate the growth factor by adding 1 to the decimal growth rate: 1 + 0.245 = 1.245.
- Apply the growth factor to the initial weight for 7 weeks: (0.5) × (1.245)7.
- Perform the exponentiation and multiplication to find the final weight.
So, the final calculation will look like this:
Final weight = 0.5 × (1.245)7 = 0.5 × 2.7379 ≈ 1.37 pounds.
Therefore, the predicted weight of the catfish after 7 weeks would be approximately 1.37 pounds when rounded to two decimals.