Question

The population of a village increases 5% every year. If the present population of the village is 8820, find its population 2 years ago.

Answer 1

Given:

• Present population of the village = 8820
• Annual growth rate = 5%
• We need to find the population 2 years ago.

Step-wise calculation:

1. If the population increases by 5% every year, the population grows by the factor `(1 + 5/100) = 1.05` each year.

2. Let the population 2 years ago be P.

3. The present population is the population 2 years ago multiplied by the growth factor squared:

Present Population = P × (1.05)² 

8820 = P × 1.1025

4. Solving for P:

`P = 8820/1.1025`

P = 8000

The population 2 years ago was 8000.