Endangered Species The table shows the world population of the Iberian lynx in 2003 and 2004. If this trend continues and the population is decreasing exponentially, how many Iberian lynx will there be in 2014?
Use the general form of the exponential equation,
Step 1 Define the variables.
Let
Let
Step 2 Determine r.
Use the populations for 2003 and 2004.
How can you find the value of r?
You can use the populations for two consecutive years to find r.
World Population of Iberian Lynx
Year | 2003 | 2004 |
---|---|---|
Population | 150 | 120 |
Step 3 Use r to determine b.
Step 4 Write the model.
The model is
How do you find the x-value corresponding to 2014?
The initial x-value corresponds to 2003, so find the difference.
Step 5 Use the model to find the population in 2014.
For the year 2014,
If the 2003–2004 trend continues, there will be approximately 13 Iberian lynx in the wild in 2014.