Use the table to answer the question.
Time (years) Bear Population
1 6
20 120
60 240
One biologist claimed that the bear population wasproportionally related to the number of years after they were reintroduced into the wild. Based on the information in the table, would you agree? Explain your answer.
Yes, I would agree that the bear population is proportionally related to the number of years after they were reintroduced into the wild. Proportional relationship means that the ratio between the two quantities remains constant. In this case, if we divide the bear population by the number of years, we get the same value in each case:
For year 1: 6 bears / 1 year = 6 bears/year
For year 20: 120 bears / 20 years = 6 bears/year
For year 60: 240 bears / 60 years = 4 bears/year
Even though the actual bear population increases over time, the rate at which it increases remains constant. This implies a proportional relationship between the bear population and the number of years after they were reintroduced into the wild.