Question

The population of a town was 20,000 in the year 2010. It decreased at a rate of 9%.

Answer 1

Answer:

5340

Step-by-step explanation:

Now you might think that you're supposed to decrease by 45%, but that'd only apply if the population was decreasing once by 9% in the span of 15 years.

Assuming that the YEARLY mortality rate was 9%, we now know that we have to decrease 20,000 by 9%, and then decrease whatever 91% of 20,000 is by 9% again, and so on and so forth. Until the fifteenth time, where you get 5340.8389. Now, here's the thing. You cant have 0.8389 of a person, and when it comes to population, you have to round down even if you had 0.9999 of a person. You always have to round down. And so, when rounding 5340.8389 down, you get 5340. I rest my case.