The population, P, of a town is modelled by the equation P=6x^3 +7x +750, where x is the number of years since the year 1960.
a) What was the population of the town in the year 1960?
P=6x^3 +7x +750
=6(60)^3 + 7(60) + 750
=6(216000)+420+750
=1296000+420+750
=1,297,170
The pop. was 1,297,170?
If x is the number of years since 1960, then for the year 1960, x=0.
So, P(0) = 750.
Looking at your work, it appears that x is the number of years since 1900. In that case, your answer is correct.
Its since 1960, so I plug in x=0 instead of 60?
No, the population of the town in the year 1960 is 750. To find the population in the year 1960, you need to substitute x=0 into the equation P=6x^3 +7x +750.
So, P=6(0)^3 +7(0) +750
= 0 + 0 + 750
= 750
Therefore, the population of the town in the year 1960 is 750.