some researchers wanted to know how many salmon were in a local river. the researchers marked 640 salmon…

some researchers wanted to know how many salmon were in a local river. the researchers marked 640 salmon with tags. later, they captured 450 salmon and found that 16 of them had tags. to the nearest whole number, what is the best estimate for the salmon population?

some researchers wanted to know how many salmon were in a local river. the researchers marked 640 salmon with tags. later, they captured 450 salmon and found that 16 of them had tags. to the nearest whole number, what is the best estimate for the salmon population?

Answer

Explanation:

Step1: Set up proportion

Let $x$ be the total salmon population. The proportion is $\frac{\text{marked salmon}}{\text{total population}}=\frac{\text{marked in sample}}{\text{sample size}}$, so $\frac{640}{x}=\frac{16}{450}$.

Step2: Cross - multiply

Cross - multiplying gives $16x = 640\times450$.

Step3: Solve for $x$

First, calculate $640\times450 = 288000$. Then $x=\frac{288000}{16}=18000$.

Answer:

18000