Question

The population of a small town is declining every year. There were 6,500 people four years ago living in this town. How many people are there today living in this town, if the town declined at 6.2%?

Answer 1

you would need to change the percent to a decimal, so 6.2% = 0.062. you would multiply the percent rate by 4, because the decrease is over a 4 year time period. so, 0.062 x 4 = 0.248. Then you would multiply 0.248 by the total number of people four years ago. 0.248 x 6500 = 1612. There are 1,612 people living in the town today.