Question

It is estimated that about 8,616 African cheetahs are living in the wild today and the population is expected to decline at a rate of 9.8% per year. Predict the number of African cheetahs living in the wild in 21 years.

Answer 1

456

Explanation:

This is a mathematical problem that involves exponential decay. To predict the number of African cheetahs living in the wild in 21 years, we need to use the formula:

N(t)=N0​×(1−r)t

where N(t) is the number of cheetahs after t years, N0​ is the initial number of cheetahs, and r is the annual rate of decline.

According to 1, scientists estimate that fewer than 8,000 African cheetahs are living in the wild today and that the population is expected to decline at a rate of 9.8% per year. Therefore, we can plug in these values into the formula:

N(21)=8000×(1−0.098)21

Using a calculator, we can simplify this expression to get:

N(21)≈8000×0.057≈456

Therefore, we can predict that there will be about 456 African cheetahs living in the wild in 21 years, if nothing changes.

This is a very alarming number and shows how endangered these animals are. We need to take urgent action to protect them and their habitats from threats such as habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, and illegal trade.