Question

A deer population is declining by 2.2% per year. The population can be modelled using the formula p = 240(0.978)n , where P is the population after n years. a) What is the current deer population?

Answer 1

The current deer population is 240.

Explanation:

The expression given models a exponential decay follows:

`p(n) = 240*(0.978)^n`

For every year that passes since the beginning of the count the population is 0.978 of the year prior. Assuming that the count starts at this year, then "n" is equal to 0, applying this value of n to the formula gives us:

`p(0) = 240*(0.978)^0\\p(0) = 240*1 = 240`

The current deer population is 240.