The population of a small beach town on Australia's east coast grows by 50% from May 1 to June 1 and then grows by

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The population of a small beach town on Australia's east coast grows by 50% from May 1 to June 1 and then grows by another 50% from June 1 to July 1. The population then decreases by 11.11% from July 1 to August 1. By approximately what percentage has the population grown from May 1 to August 1?

a) 50%
b) 90%
c) 100%
d) 200%
e) 225%

[spoiler]OA=C[/spoiler]

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M7MBA wrote:
Tue May 12, 2020 6:37 am
The population of a small beach town on Australia's east coast grows by 50% from May 1 to June 1 and then grows by another 50% from June 1 to July 1. The population then decreases by 11.11% from July 1 to August 1. By approximately what percentage has the population grown from May 1 to August 1?

a) 50%
b) 90%
c) 100%
d) 200%
e) 225%

[spoiler]OA=C[/spoiler]
Solution:

We can let the initial population = n.

After the town grows by 50%, then another 50%, and then decreases by 11.11%, we have:

n(3/2)(3/2)(8/9) = 72n/36 = 2n

Let’s determine the percentage increase:

(2n - n)/n x 100 = n/n x 100 = 100%

Answer: C

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