A small nest of wasps has an exponential growth rate of 13% per month. If the nest currently has 5,000 wasps, the situation can be modeled by the equation w(t)=5,000(1.13)t

, where w is the number of wasps after t months. Which of the following statements is true about the equation?(1 point)
Responses

The domain (t-values) can be all real numbers.
The domain ( t -values) can be all real numbers.

The domain (t-values) includes the values of t such that t≥0
.
The domain ( t -values) includes the values of t such that t greater-than-or-equal-to 0 .

The range (w-values) can be all real numbers.
The range ( w -values) can be all real numbers.

The range (w-values) includes the values greater than 0 and less than or equal to 5,000.

1 answer

To analyze the given equation \( w(t) = 5,000(1.13)^t \) for the growth of wasps, let's evaluate the statements provided:

  1. Domain of \( t \):

    • The variable \( t \) represents time in months and cannot be negative due to the context (you can’t have negative time). Therefore, the valid values for \( t \) are \( t \geq 0 \).
    • The correct statement here would be that the domain (t-values) includes the values of \( t \) such that \( t \geq 0 \).
  2. Range of \( w \):

    • The function \( w(t) = 5,000(1.13)^t \) represents an exponential growth model, and as \( t \) increases, \( w(t) \) will continue to increase beyond 5,000. When \( t = 0 \), \( w(0) = 5,000 \cdot (1.13)^0 = 5,000 \).
    • The smallest value of \( w(t) \) occurs at \( t = 0 \) and is \( 5,000 \). As \( t \) increases, \( w(t) \) will approach infinity, so \( w \) will be greater than 5,000 indefinitely.
    • The range of \( w(t) \) is therefore \( w > 5,000 \), and it can never be less than or equal to 5,000.

Based on this analysis, the true statements among the given options are:

  • The domain (t-values) includes the values of \( t \) such that \( t \geq 0 \).
  • The range (w-values) does not include all real numbers and is not limited to values less than or equal to 5,000; thus, the other options regarding the range are false.

Therefore, the correct conclusion is:

  • The domain (t-values) includes the values of t such that t ≥ 0.