Answer:
75 gophers (about)
Step-by-step explanation:
We will use continuous compounding interest formula:
[tex]P(t)=P_0e^{rt}[/tex]
Where
P(t) is final value (at time t)
P_0 is initial value
r is the compounding rate
t is the time period
Given:
P(t) = 78
r is 1.5% or 1.5/100 = 0.015
t is 3
We solve for P_0, what we want, using algebra as shown below:
[tex]P(t)=P_0e^{rt}\\78=P_0e^{(0.015)(3)}\\78=P_0e^{0.045}\\\frac{78}{P_0}=e^{0.045}\\\frac{78}{P_0}=1.0460\\P_0=74.57[/tex]
So, the initial population was 75 gophers.
