The population of a city increases by 5% per year. What should we multiply the current population by to find the next year's population in one step?

Answer 1

To find the next year's population given a 5% increase, you can multiply the current population by \(1 + \text{rate of increase}\).

In this case, the rate of increase is 5%, which can be expressed as a decimal:

\[ 5% = \frac{5}{100} = 0.05 \]

Now, you add 1 to this decimal:

\[ 1 + 0.05 = 1.05 \]

Therefore, to find next year's population in one step, you should multiply the current population by 1.05.