Question

The population of wolves in an area is represented by the equation p(t) = 800(0.95)t where t is the number of years since the year 2000.

A) In the above equation what does 800 represent?

B) In the above equation what does 0.95 represent?

C) Predict the number of wolves in the year 2012. Be sure to justify your prediction mathematically and show your work.

Answer 1

A) initial wolves number
B) it’s the rate of growth
C) the t is = 12 years
Substitute 12 in the equation above
P(12) = 8(.95)(12)
= 91.2
91

Answer 2

A) The initial population of wolves in the area

B) The annual change in the wolf population. In this instance, it means that the population decreases by 5% annually

C) 432

Explanation:

C) p(12) = 800(.95)¹²=432.3 round to 432