In 1955 each farm worker in the United States produced enough food to feed 20 people. By 1960 farming methods had improved, and one worker could supply 25 people. By 1965 that number became 40 people. In 1970 it was 45 people.In 1975 it increased to 60 people. In 1980 one farm worker could suppy 75 people.
How many people do you think were supplied by one farmer in 1990?
95 to 100 people
90 people
To estimate how many people were supplied by one farmer in 1990, we can continue the pattern of increasing productivity observed in the previous years.
In 1955, each farm worker produced enough food to feed 20 people. By 1980, one farmer could supply 75 people. Let's calculate the average increase in productivity per year during this period:
Total increase in people supplied per worker = 75 (people) - 20 (people) = 55 (people)
Total number of years = 1980 (year) - 1955 (year) = 25 (years)
Average increase per year = Total increase / Total number of years = 55 (people) / 25 (years) = 2.2 (people per year)
Now, we can use the average increase to project the number of people supplied per worker in 1990:
Year difference from 1980 to 1990 = 1990 (year) - 1980 (year) = 10 (years)
Projected increase = Average increase per year * Year difference = 2.2 (people per year) * 10 (years) = 22 (people)
To find the estimated number of people supplied by one farmer in 1990, we add the projected increase to the number in 1980:
Estimated number of people supplied by one farmer in 1990 = Number of people supplied in 1980 + Projected increase = 75 (people) + 22 (people) = 97 (people)
Based on this estimation, it is likely that one farmer could supply approximately 97 people in 1990.