Question

2.
write an equation to model the situation:
a population of mice started with 4 mice
and tripled each month.

Explanation:

Step1: Identify the type of growth

This is exponential growth. The general form of an exponential growth equation is $y = a \cdot b^x$, where $a$ is the initial amount, $b$ is the growth factor, and $x$ is the time variable.

Step2: Determine the values of a, b, and the variables

The initial population ($a$) is 4 mice. The population triples each month, so the growth factor ($b$) is 3. Let $x$ represent the number of months, and $y$ represent the population of mice after $x$ months.

Step3: Write the equation

Substituting the values into the exponential growth formula, we get $y = 4 \cdot 3^x$.

Answer:

$y = 4 \cdot 3^x$ (where $y$ is the population of mice and $x$ is the number of months)