The population of a city decreases by 3.8% per year. What should we multiply the current population by to find next year's population in one step?

Answer 1

To find next year's population based on a current population that decreases by 3.8% per year, you can use the following steps:

1. Understand that a 3.8% decrease means the population retains \(100% - 3.8% = 96.2%\) of its current population.

2. Convert the percentage into a decimal for calculation. \(96.2%\) as a decimal is \(0.962\).

3. To find next year's population, you multiply the current population by \(0.962\).

Thus, to find next year's population in one step, you should multiply the current population by 0.962.