A county planner prepares the following table showing population trends in three local towns. The first column gives the name of the town. The second column gives the population as of the last census (A census is a count of people that live in a specific place). The third column gives the estimated increase or decrease in population since that census, expressed as a percentage of the previous population.

Question

3a. Ella wants to write an expression to figure out the estimated population in the town of Amity Center. Which expression could she use to figure this out?

(2 points)
Responses

y + 5
y + 5

y + (y x 0.05)
y + (y x 0.05)

y - (y x 0.05)
y - (y x 0.05)

y - 5

Answer 1

To find the estimated population in the town of Amity Center, if \( y \) represents the current population, and the population is expected to decrease by 5%, Ella needs to subtract the decrease from the current population.

To calculate a decrease of 5%, you can express it as follows:

1. Calculate the amount of decrease: \( y \times 0.05 \)
2. Subtract that amount from the current population: \( y - (y \times 0.05) \)

Thus, the correct expression for Ella to use would be:

y - (y x 0.05)

So the answer is:

y - (y x 0.05)