According to the US Census Bureau, the population of the United States has been growing at an average rate of approximately 2% per year. The census is taken every 10 years, and the population in 1980 was estimated at 226 million people.
*If the rate of population growth in the U.S. had continued at about 2%, in about what year would the population in the United States reach and surpass one billion?
My answer: 773 years ?????
To calculate the year in which the population in the United States would reach and surpass one billion, you can use the compound interest formula. Here's how you can calculate it:
1. Start with the population in 1980, which was estimated at 226 million people.
2. Since the census is taken every 10 years, we need to find out how many 10-year intervals it would take for the population to reach and surpass one billion.
3. Calculate the growth rate per 10-year interval by multiplying the population in the initial year (1980) by the growth rate of 2% per year. This will give you the population after the first 10 years.
4. Repeat this calculation for each successive 10-year interval until the population surpasses one billion.
5. Count the number of 10-year intervals it took to reach and surpass one billion and multiply it by 10. This will give you the number of years.
Performing these calculations:
Step 1: Population in 1980 = 226 million
Step 2: We need to find the number of 10-year intervals it would take to reach one billion.
One billion = 1,000 million people
Therefore, the number of 10-year intervals = (1,000 million - 226 million) / (226 million * 2) = 1,774.33628318
Step 3: We will round this value to the nearest whole number, which is 1,774.
Step 4: Multiply the number of 10-year intervals by 10 to find the number of years.
Number of years = 1,774 * 10 = 17,740 years
Therefore, if the rate of population growth in the United States had continued at about 2% per year, it would take around 17,740 years for the population to reach and surpass one billion.