At the start of a research study, a colony of penguins had a population of 20,000. One year later, it had a population of 21,200.

Assuming the population of the colony has grown exponentially, which expression best models the population? Let t represent the time in years from the start of the research study.
1,200(1.015)^t
20,000(1.06)^t
20,000(1.06) ^4t
21,200(1.012)^t

3 answers

The expression that best models the population is 20,000(1.06)^t.
Assuming the colony continues to grow at the same rate, what will the population of the colony be 4 years after the start of the research study?
Round your answer to the nearest whole number.
penguins
To determine the population of the colony 4 years after the start of the research study, we can substitute t = 4 into the expression:
Population = 20,000(1.06)^t
Population = 20,000(1.06)^4

Using a calculator, we find:
Population ≈ 20,000 * 1.262476
Population ≈ 25,249.52

Rounded to the nearest whole number, the population will be approximately 25,250 penguins.