A scientist is studying wildlife with exponential growth

A scientist is studying wildlife. She estimates the population of bats in her state to be 270,000. She predicts the population to grow at an average annual rate of 2.9 percent.

Using the scientist’s prediction, create an equation that models the population of bats, y, after x years.

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This is a situation involving the exponential growth formula:

a is the initial value
r is the growth rate
​x is the time

Substitute the values into the formula

​Ask the House
​

​{substituted 270,000 in for a,
and changed 2.9% to the decimal 0.029}