The population of a city is currently 2,760,065. The population is increasing at a rate of 10,000 people per year. Write the equation of the line that represents the total population, y, in terms of years, x?

1 answer

To write the equation of the line that represents the total population, \( y \), in terms of years, \( x \), we can use the slope-intercept form of the equation of a line:

\[ y = mx + b \]

where:

  • \( m \) is the slope (the rate of increase in population),
  • \( b \) is the y-intercept (the current population).

In this case:

  • The current population (y-intercept, \( b \)) is \( 2,760,065 \).
  • The population is increasing at a rate of \( 10,000 \) people per year (slope, \( m \)).

Thus, the equation becomes:

\[ y = 10,000x + 2,760,065 \]

Here, \( y \) represents the population of the city after \( x \) years.