Question

A biologist studied the populations of white-sided jackrabbits and black-tailed jackrabbits over a 5-year period. He modeled the populations, in thousands, with the following polynomials where is time, in years. White-sided jackrabbits: 6.5 2 − 8.7 + 5.9 Black-sided jackrabbits: 6.5 2 + 9.2 + 1.2 What polynomial models the total number of white-sided and black-sided jackrabbits?

Answer 1

Therefore, the polynomial that models the total number of white-sided and black-tailed jackrabbits over the 5-year period is:

13t^2 + 0.5t + 7.1

where t is time, in years.

Explanation:

To model the total number of white-sided and black-tailed jackrabbits, we need to add the two polynomials together. This gives us:

(6.5t^2 - 8.7t + 5.9) + (6.5t^2 + 9.2t + 1.2)

Simplifying this expression by combining like terms, we get:

13t^2 + 0.5t + 7.1

Therefore, the polynomial that models the total number of white-sided and black-tailed jackrabbits over the 5-year period is:

13t^2 + 0.5t + 7.1

where t is time, in years.