A biologist studied the populations of common guppies and Endler’s guppies over a 6-year period. The biologist modeled the populations, in tens of thousands, with the following polynomials where x is time, in years.

common guppies: 3.1x^2 + 6x + 0.3
Endler’s guppies: 4.2x^2 – 5.2x + 1
What polynomial models the total number of common and Endler’s guppies? (1 point)

7.3x^2+0.8x+1.3

I think that's the answer.

aggreed

To find the polynomial that models the total number of common and Endler's guppies, we need to add the polynomials for each type of guppy together.

The equation for the common guppies is:
Common guppies: 3.1x^2 + 6x + 0.3

The equation for Endler's guppies is:
Endler's guppies: 4.2x^2 – 5.2x + 1

To find the polynomial representing the total number of guppies, we add the coefficients for each term in the polynomials:

For the x^2 term: 3.1 + 4.2 = 7.3
For the x term: 6 - 5.2 = 0.8
For the constant term: 0.3 + 1 = 1.3

Therefore, the polynomial that models the total number of common and Endler's guppies is:
7.3x^2 + 0.8x + 1.3.

To find the polynomial that models the total number of common and Endler's guppies, you need to add the polynomials that represent the populations of each type of guppy.

The polynomial that represents the total number of guppies will be the sum of the common guppies polynomial and the Endler's guppies polynomial.

So, adding the two polynomials:

(3.1x^2 + 6x + 0.3) + (4.2x^2 - 5.2x + 1)

This simplifies to:

7.3x^2 + 0.8x + 1.3

Therefore, the polynomial that models the total number of common and Endler's guppies is:

7.3x^2 + 0.8x + 1.3