Problema Solution

The foundation of your house has 1200 termites.

The termites grow at a rate of 2.4% per day.

How long until the number of termites double?

Answer provided by our tutors

start - the number of termites is: 1200


day 1 - the number of termites is: 1200 + 0.024*1200 = 1200(1 + 0.024)


day 2 - the number of termites is: 1200(1 + 0.024) + 0.024*1200(1 + 0.024) = 1200(1 + 0.024)^2


.....


day n - the number of termites is: 1200(1 + 0.024)^n


we need to find n so that


1200(1 + 0.024)^n = 2*1200


by solving the equation we find


n = 29.23 days


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it takes about 30 days for the number of termites to double.