1998 AMC 8 Problem 15

Attempt Problem 15 of the 1998 AMC 8 below, then check your answer against the professionally curated solution from LIVE by Po-Shen Loh. You can also try the full timed exam, view all 1998 AMC 8 solutions, or check the answer key.

All problems are used with official legal permission of the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).

15.

Problems 15,15, 16,16, and 1717 all refer to the following:
Don’t Crowd The Isles
In the very center of the Irenic Sea lie the beautiful Nisos Isles. In 19981998 the number of people on these islands is only 200,200, but the population triples every 2525 years. Queen Irene has decreed that there must be at least 1.51.5 square miles for every person living in the Isles. The total area of the Nisos Isles is 24,90024{,}900 square miles.
Estimate the population of Nisos in the year 2050.2050.
600600
800800
10001000
20002000
30003000
Answer: D
Concepts:geometric sequenceestimation
Small hint:
Tripling twice gets from 19981998 to 2048.2048.
Big hint:
Use 20482048 as the closest benchmark to 2050.2050.
Solution:
The population in 2048,2048, which is 5050 years after 1998,1998, is 32⋅200=1800.3^2\cdot200=1800.
Since 20482048 is close to 2050,2050, the population in 20502050 is approximately 1800,1800, and the closest choice is 2000.2000.
Thus, the correct answer is D .
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