Week 4 CAPT Problem - 10th Grade


The Population Boom

A small town experienced a population boom during the 1990s. The table below shows the town's population from 1990 to 1997.

POPULATION GROWTH
Year Population
1990 159
1991 215
1992 289
1993 370
1994 494
1995 576
1996 652
1997 790

  1. On a sheet of graph paper, construct a graph of the population growth from 1990 to 1997.








  2. Find an equation that approximates the population as a function of the year. Show how you arrived at this equation and explain what it tells you.








  3. Use your equation to predict the town's population in 2005. Explain how you arrived at this estimate.