A group of volunteers tagged and released 34 owls as part of a research project. Later, the researchers counted 300 owls, 12 of which had tags. To the nearest whole number, what is the best estimate for the owl population?
Q. A group of volunteers tagged and released 34 owls as part of a research project. Later, the researchers counted 300 owls, 12 of which had tags. To the nearest whole number, what is the best estimate for the owl population?
Set up proportion: Step 1: Set up the proportion based on the information given.We know that 12 out of 300 owls were tagged, and originally 34 owls were tagged and released. Let's denote the total owl population as p.The proportion is set up as follows:30012=p34
Solve proportion: Step 2: Solve the proportion to find the estimated owl population.Cross-multiplying to solve for p:12×p=34×30012×p=10200
Continue solving: Step 3: Continue solving for p.Divide both sides by 12 to isolate p:p=1210200p=850
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