Question

for a research project on rodents, 41 chipmunks were tagged and released. later, researchers counted 320 chipmunks in the area. of the chipmunks they counted, 16 had tags. to the nearest whole number, what is the best estimate for the chipmunk population?

Explanation:

Step1: Set up proportion

$\frac{\text{Tagged total}}{\text{Population}} = \frac{\text{Tagged recaptured}}{\text{Recaptured total}}$
$\frac{41}{N} = \frac{16}{320}$

Step2: Solve for population $N$

First simplify $\frac{16}{320} = \frac{1}{20}$
Then $N = 41 \times 20 = 820$

Answer:

820