Final answer:
The populations of Japan and the Philippines will be the same in the year 2028, assuming their current growth rates remain constant.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the year in which the populations of Japan and the Philippines will be the same, we need to set up an equation based on their population growth rates. Let's assume that the current year is 2020 and that the populations are given in millions.
The population of Japan is decreasing by 0.2% per year, which means that it is decreasing by 0.2/100 * 126.5 = 0.253 million people per year. So, the population of Japan in any year y can be represented by the equation:
P(japan) = 126.5 - 0.253y
The population of the Philippines is increasing by 1.6% per year, which means it is increasing by 1.6/100 * 109.6 = 1.7536 million people per year. So, the population of the Philippines in any year y can be represented by the equation:
P(philippines) = 109.6 + 1.7536y
To find the year when the two populations are the same, we set P(japan) = P(Philippines) and solve for y:
126.5 - 0.253y = 109.6 + 1.7536y
2.0066y = 16.9
y = 8.42
Since y represents the number of years since 2020, the two populations will be the same in the year 2020 + 8.42 = 2028.42, which can be rounded to the nearest whole number as 2028.