Every 10 years, the Bureau of the Census counts the # of people living in the U.S. In 1790, the population of the U.S. was 3.93 million. By 1800, this # had grown to 5.31 million.

1. Write an exponential function that could be used to model the U.S. population y in millions for 1790 to 1800. Write the equation in terms of x, the number of decades since 1790.
2. Assume that the U.S. population continued to grow at that rate. Estimate th population for the years 1820, 1840, and 1860. Then compare your estimates with the actual population for those years.

Question

Every 10 years, the Bureau of the Census counts the # of people living in the U.S. In 1790, the population of the U.S. was 3.93 million. By 1800, this # had grown to 5.31 million.

1. Write an exponential function that could be used to model the U.S. population y in millions for 1790 to 1800. Write the equation in terms of x, the number of decades since 1790.
2. Assume that the U.S. population continued to grow at that rate. Estimate th population for the years 1820, 1840, and 1860. Then compare your estimates with the actual population for those years.