What is the percent increase in the population for all six inhabited continents from 1950 - 2000?

Question

1950 2000
N.America 221,000,000 305,000,000
S.America 111,000,000 515,000,000
Europe 392,000,000 510,000,000
Africa 229,000,000 889,000,000
Oceana 12,000,000 32,000,000
Antarct. 2,556,000,000 6,279,000,000

the answer I got was 83% can someone check my answer and if I did not get it correct can someone give me the correct way of figuring it out Thank you...

Answer 1

It is still South America that leads every other listed continent (Asia is absent from the list).
The answer is more than 350%. Use the same method described in the previous question.

Answer 2

Also -- the figures for Antarctica are definitely wrong. Antarctica has no permanent population. Perhaps those figures are for Asia.

Answer 3

I guess what I'm confused about is what numbers do I divide?

Answer 4

As a non mathematician, I play around with the numbers until I get a reasonable answer.

MathMate has told you that your answer will be more than 350%.

I'd add all of the 1950 figures and subtract from all of the 2000 figures. Then divide.

Answer 5

You're right, Ms Sue. The population of Asia was 3451 millions in 1995 according to the following link:
http://www.hist.umn.edu/~rmccaa/lademotr/sld002.htm

Answer 6

Oops, you're right again, Ms Sue.
The population increase for South America alone is more than 350%, but the question asks the population of all 6 continents.
So proceed as Ms Sue described, add up the populations in 1950 (a), and those of 2000 (b). Subtract (a) from (b) and divide by (a), the original back in 1950.
The percentage will be
((b)-(a))/(a) * 100%
I have more than 125%, check my calculations.