Questions: If the population continues growing at the same rate, how many years will it take to reach 6 million? Round to the nearest tenth. Do not round intermediate steps.
It will take approximately years for the population to reach 6 million.
Transcript text: If the population continues growing at the same rate, how many years will it take to reach 6 million? Round to the nearest tenth. Do not rou intermediate steps.
It will take approximately $\square$ years for the population to reach 6 million. $\square$
Solution
Solution Steps
To solve this problem, we need to determine the number of years it will take for the population to reach 6 million given a constant growth rate. We can use the formula for exponential growth: \( P(t) = P_0 \times e^{rt} \), where \( P(t) \) is the future population, \( P_0 \) is the initial population, \( r \) is the growth rate, and \( t \) is the time in years. We will solve for \( t \).
Step 1: Define the Variables
Let \( P_0 = 5,000,000 \) be the initial population, \( P = 6,000,000 \) be the target population, and \( r = 0.02 \) be the growth rate.
Step 2: Use the Exponential Growth Formula
We apply the formula for exponential growth:
\[
P(t) = P_0 \times e^{rt}
\]
To find \( t \), we rearrange the formula:
\[
t = \frac{\ln(P) - \ln(P_0)}{r}
\]
Step 3: Calculate \( t \)
Substituting the values into the equation:
\[
t = \frac{\ln(6,000,000) - \ln(5,000,000)}{0.02}
\]
Calculating this gives:
\[
t \approx 9.1161
\]
Rounding to the nearest tenth, we find:
\[
t \approx 9.1
\]
Final Answer
It will take approximately \\(\boxed{9.1}\\) years for the population to reach 6 million.