Question

If the number of students taking online courses is increasing at a rate of 7% per

year, how long would it take for the number of students taking online courses to
double?
a) about 28.57 years
b) about 2.8 years
c) about 14.3 years
d) about 10.24 years

Answer 1

Using the rule of 70, which states that the doubling time is 70 divided by the growth rate, we can estimate that it will take about 10 years for the number of students taking online courses to double.

Step-by-step explanation:

The question is asking how long it would take for the number of students taking online courses to double if it is increasing at a rate of 7% per year. To answer this, we can use the rule of 70, which provides a quick way to estimate the doubling time for a quantity growing at a constant rate. According to the rule of 70, the doubling time in years is approximately equal to 70 divided by the percentage growth rate per year.

Using this rule, we would calculate the doubling time as follows:

1. Divide 70 by the annual growth rate: 70 / 7 = 10.
2. The result is approximately how many years it will take for the number of students to double.

Therefore, it takes about 10 years for the number of students taking online courses to double. This aligns with answer option d) about 10.24 years.