Question

Suppose that the population of a certain town, in thousands, was 105 in 1990 and 141 in 2002. Assume that the population growth can be approximated by a straight line. Find the equation of a line which will estimate the population of the town, in thousands, in any given year since 1990.

Answer 1

Let's calculate the growth rate from 1992 to 2002 (Since it's assumed to be a LINEAR function, instead of an exponential one)

Growth rate = (141 - 105 )/ (105) = 12/35

Growth Rate = Slope, then y = ax becomes y = (12/35).x OR y =0.342x