In 2006 the population of the United States was 300.2 million (U.S. Census Bureau, www.census.gov). If the population continues to grow at an annual rate of 1.05%, then the population in the year 2020 will be 300.2(1.0105)14 million.
a) Evaluate the expression to find the predicted population in 2020 to the nearest tenth of a million people.
b) Use the accompanying graph to estimate the year in which the population will reach 400 million people.