Question

Dr. Gilmore's research group tagged and released 800 squirrels for a study of a local park. Later, they trapped 430 squirrels, 43 of which had tags.
To the nearest whole number, what is the best estimate for the squirrel population?

Answer 1

Using proportions, it is found that the best estimate for the squirrel population is of 8000.

What is a proportion?

A proportion is a fraction of a total amount, and the measures are related using a rule of three.

In this problem, 43 squirrels out of 430 had tags. Considering that in the entire population, 800 are tagged, and we want to find the total population, the rule of three is given by:

43 tagged - 430 squirrels

800 tagged - x squirrels

Applying cross multiplication:

$43x = 430 \times 800$

$x = \frac{430 \times 800}{43}$

$x = 8000$

The best estimate for the squirrel population is of 8000.

More can be learned about proportions at brainly.com/question/24372153