In a certain geographic location, a herd of antelopes is declining at a rate of six percent every year. If there are currently 570 antelopes in the herd, create an exponential decay function to model the problem. If the decrease in population continues at this rate, how many antelopes will be in the herd after 10 years? Round your answer to the nearest whole number.(1 point)

After 10 years there will be
a
antelopes.

1 answer

To model the decline of the antelope population, we can use the exponential decay function:

\[ P(t) = P_0 e^{kt} \]

Where:

  • \( P(t) \) is the population at time \( t \),
  • \( P_0 \) is the initial population,
  • \( k \) is the decay constant,
  • \( t \) is the time in years,
  • \( e \) is the base of the natural logarithm.

First, we translate the percentage decline rate into a decay constant. A decrease of 6% per year means that the remaining population each year is 94% of the previous year's population, which can be modeled as:

\[ P(t) = 570 \times (0.94)^t \]

Here, \( P_0 = 570 \) and the decay factor \( (0.94) \) is derived from \( 1 - 0.06 = 0.94 \).

To find the population after 10 years, we substitute \( t = 10 \) into the function:

\[ P(10) = 570 \times (0.94)^{10} \]

Now we can calculate \( (0.94)^{10} \):

\[ (0.94)^{10} \approx 0.527 \]

Now multiply by the initial population:

\[ P(10) \approx 570 \times 0.527 \approx 300.39 \]

Rounding to the nearest whole number, we find:

\[ \text{After 10 years, there will be } \approx 300 \text{ antelopes.} \]

Thus, the final answer is:

After 10 years there will be 300 antelopes.