A town has a population of 17000 and grows at \( 3 \% \) every year. What will be the population after 7 years, to the nearest whole number?

To forecast the town's population after 7 years, we can apply the formula for exponential growth: \[ P = P_0 \times (1 + r)^t \] where: - \( P_0 \) is the initial population (17,000), - \( r \) is the growth rate (0.03 for 3%), - \( t \) is the time in years (7). Plugging in the numbers: \[ P = 17000 \times (1 + 0.03)^7 \approx 17000 \times (1.225043) \approx 20825.73 \] Rounding to the nearest whole number, the expected population after 7 years is approximately 20,826. Now, isn't that a fascinating growth rate? A population that rises on its own like a well-watered plant—it just begs for a little more exploration! If you're interested in following this with real-world examples, many cities around the globe experience similar exponential growth, especially in regions with booming economies. This happens not only thanks to natural growth but also migration due to available jobs and amenities. How cool is it to think about how many lives you could count in that number?