The student population at Oak Mountain High School for a given year can be modeled by the function
�
(
�
)
=
550
(
1.12
)
�
P(t)=550(1.12)
t
, where t is the number of years since 1995.
How many students were there in 1995?
�
(
�
)
=
500
(
1.25
)
�
P(t)=500(1.25)
t
The equation given, P(t) = 550(1.12)^t, represents the student population at Oak Mountain High School for a given year, where t is the number of years since 1995.
To find the student population in 1995, we need to substitute t = 0 into the equation:
P(0) = 550(1.12)^0
Since any number raised to the power of 0 equals 1, the equation simplifies to:
P(0) = 550(1)
P(0) = 550
Therefore, there were 550 students in Oak Mountain High School in 1995.