High School

Water hyacinth is an invasive plant species found in many lakes that typically grows at a rate of [tex]7 \%[/tex] per day. As part of a study, a scientist introduces a 150-gram sample of water hyacinth into a testing pool. Which of the following functions gives the amount of water hyacinth in the testing pool [tex]t[/tex] weeks after the sample is introduced? (Note: 1 week is 7 days.)

A. [tex]f(t)=150\left(1+0.07^{(1 / 7)}\right)^t[/tex]

B. [tex]g(t)=150\left(1.07^{(1 / 7)}\right)^t[/tex]

C. [tex]h(t)=150\left(1+0.07^{(7)}\right)^t[/tex]

D. [tex]k(t)=150\left(1.07^{(7)}\right)^t[/tex]

Answer :

To solve the problem of determining which function represents the amount of water hyacinth in the testing pool after [tex]\( t \)[/tex] weeks, let's go through the growth process step by step:

1. Understand the Growth Rate:
- The water hyacinth grows at a rate of [tex]\( 7\% \)[/tex] per day. As a decimal, this growth rate is [tex]\( 0.07 \)[/tex] per day.

2. Convert Daily Growth Rate to Weekly Growth Rate:
- Since we need to calculate the growth over weeks and 1 week has 7 days, we need to find the weekly growth factor.
- The formula for the growth factor over a period with compounding is [tex]\((1 + \text{daily growth rate})^{\text{number of days in a week}}\)[/tex].
- So, the weekly growth rate is [tex]\((1.07)^7\)[/tex].

3. Determine the Initial Amount:
- The initial amount of water hyacinth introduced into the testing pool is 150 grams.

4. Formulate the Growth Function Over Weeks:
- The general formula for exponential growth is:
[tex]\[
\text{Amount at time } t = \text{Initial amount} \times (\text{growth factor})^t
\][/tex]
- Using the initial amount of 150 grams and the weekly growth factor calculated as [tex]\((1.07)^7\)[/tex], the function for the amount of water hyacinth after [tex]\( t \)[/tex] weeks is:
[tex]\[
k(t) = 150 \times \left((1.07)^7\right)^t
\][/tex]

5. Select the Correct Option:
- Comparing this function with the given options, we see that:
[tex]\[
k(t) = 150 \times (1.07^7)^t
\][/tex]
- This matches Option (D): [tex]\( k(t) = 150\left(1.07^{(7)}\right)^t \)[/tex].

Therefore, the correct function representing the amount of water hyacinth in the testing pool [tex]\( t \)[/tex] weeks after the sample is introduced is Option (D).