Effects of Population Growth
The population of this world increases each year, and there is no telling how large and how quickly the population will grow; or is there a way? Can the growth of the world¡¯s population be calculated? ... After years of analyzing statistics over and over again, researchers have come up with a mathematical equation to calculate the population growth over a period of time. This is important because as the population becomes larger, the world is affected in many ways. This equation, used to calculate exponential growth, will help scientists and other researchers predict what will happen to the ecosystem, natural resources, and other such environmental issues. First of all, a very good understanding of the mathematical equation is needed in order to really see the rapidity in which the world¡¯s population is growing. The equation that calculates exponential growth and decay is N = N 0 . ... ¡°N¡± is the population number after a period of time has passed, and ¡°N 0 ¡°is the initial population. ... 71828 (¡°Exponential Growth¡±). ... The variable ¡°t¡± is the amount of time passed, and ¡°k¡± is the growth or decay constant. ... Then this value would be used in the first equation to find out the population number after the amount of time inputted. Because ¡°k¡± is the growth constant, the increase in population will become greater as ¡°k¡± gets bigger. Although this equation only gives approximate representations of the population growth, it is still very useful (¡°Exponential Growth¡±). Another method of calculating exponential growth is by using this equation: y = a (1 + r )t (Boswell 467).