Acounty planner is looking at trends in population growth for two towns.Hapville and Merion - The population of Hapvile in the year 2000 was 18,000. Since their, the population has increased at a steady rale of 500 people per year - The population of Merton is increasing according to the equation y=12,000(1.04)^t where y=the population in thousands and 1- the number of years since the year zooo If there trends continue how will the populations of the two towns compare in 2030? ) A. Hapville will have about 6,000 more people than Merton. B. Merton will have about 6,000 more people than Hapville. C. Hapville will have about 21,000 more people than Merton. D. Merton will have about 21,000 more people then Hapville.

To determine how the populations of Hapville and Merion will compare in 2030, we need to calculate the population of each town in that year.<br /><br />For Hapville:<br />The population in the year 2000 was 18,000. Since then, the population has increased at a steady rate of 500 people per year. Therefore, the population of Hapville in 2030 can be calculated as:<br />Population of Hapville in 2030 = 18,000 + (500 * 30) = 18,000 + 15,000 = 33,000<br /><br />For Merion:<br />The population of Merion is increasing according to the equation y = 12,000(1.04)^t, where y is the population in thousands and t is the number of years since the year 2000. To find the population in 2030, we substitute t = 30 into the equation:<br />Population of Merion in 2030 = 12,000(1.04)^30 ≈ 12,000 * 3.243 = 39,516<br /><br />Comparing the populations of the two towns in 2030:<br />Hapville will have about 6,000 more people than Merion.<br /><br />Therefore, the correct answer is:<br />A. Hapville will have about 6,000 more people than Merion.