5. The population of deer in a park is growing over the years. The table below gives the population found in a
survey by local wildlife officials.
Year
2000
2003
2006
2009
Deer Population
168
216
264
312
(a) Find the average rate that the deer population is changing over each time interval below:
From 2000 to 2003
From 2003 to 2006
From 2006 to 2009
(b) Why does this calculation indicate a linear (c) Ift stands for the number of years since 2000,
relationship?
write an equation for the deer population, p, as a
function of 1.
(d) What does your model predict the deer (e) How many years will it take for the deer
population to be in the year 2014?
population to reach 500? Round to the nearest
year.