Question

A certain forest covers an area of 2300 km2. Suppose that each year this area decreases by 5.25%. What will the area be after 13 years? Use the calculator provided and round your answer to the nearest square kilometer.

Answer 1

The area after 13 years will be 1141 km2

Explanation:

This problem can be modeled with an exponencial equation:

A = Ao * (1+r)^t

Where A is the Area after t years, Ao is the inicial area and r is the rate that the area changes.

For our problem, we have that Ao = 2300, r = -5,25% = -0.0525 and t = 13.

Then, we can find the area after 13 years:

A = 2300 * (1 - 0.0525)^13

A = 2300 * (0.9475)^13 = 1140.93 km2

Rounding to the nearest square kilometer, we have A = 1141 km2