Population of Oklahoma
Population growth also can be affected by social and political events. The table below gives the population for Oklahoma at 10-year intervals starting in 1900. To make the numbers more manageable, let x = 0 for the year 1900, and make a scatterplot with a statistical package or a graphing calculator. Let the number of years since 1900 be the independent variable and the population be the dependent variable. Using a statistical package or a graphing calculator, fit a line, a quadratic, and a cubic to this data set. Use each of these equations to predict the population for next year.
With a statistical package or a graphing calculator fit an equation of the form ln y = .... Rewrite this equation using properties of exponents so it is of the form y = .... Use this equation to predict the population for next year.
Which equation fits this data set best? Explain the social and political forces that would make this data set not exponential.
|
Year |
Oklahoma |
|
1900 |
800,000 |
|
1910 |
1,671,000 |
|
1920 |
2,055,000 |
|
1930 |
2,401,000 |
|
1940 |
2,325,000 |
|
1950 |
2,229,000 |
|
1960 |
2,336,000 |
|
1970 |
2,619,000 |
|
1980 |
3,096,000 |
|
1990 |
3,147,000 |
Estimated size of the human population in Oklahoma