standard_description: Interpret the equation y = mx + b as defining a linear function, whose graph is a straight line; give examples of functions that are not linear. For example, the function A = s2 giving the area of a square as a function of its side length is not linear because its graph contains the points (1,1), (2,4) and (3,9), which are not on a straight line.
problem_activity: Task
In 1966, a Miami boy smuggled three Giant African Land Snails into the country. His grandmother eventually released them into the garden, and in seven years there were approximately 18,000 of them. The snails are very destructive and had to be eradicated. According to the USDA, it took 10 years and cost \$1 million to eradicate them.
Assuming the snail population grows exponentially, write an expression for the population, $P$, in terms of the number, $t$, of years since their release.
How long does it take for the population to double?
Assuming the cost of eradicating the snails is proportional to the population, how much would it have cost to eradicate them if
they had started the eradication program a year earlier?
they had let the population grow unchecked for another year?


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