In 1960 in an article in Science magazine, H. Van Forester, P. M. Mora, and W. Amiot predicted that world population would be infinite in the year 2026. Their projection was based on the rational function defined by

where p(t) gives population in year t. This function has provided a relatively good fit to the population until very recently.

a. Estimate world population in 2010 using this function, and compare it with the estimate of 6.909 billion.

b. What does the function predict for world population in 2020? 2025?

c. Discuss why this function is not realistic, despite its good fit to past data.

Transcribed Image Text:

p(t) = 1.79 x 10¹¹ (2026.87-1)0,9⁹