Scientists tagged 770 pike for a research project about a local lake. Later, they trapped 270 pike, of which 21 had tags. To the nearest whole number, what is the best estimate for the pike population?
Q. Scientists tagged 770 pike for a research project about a local lake. Later, they trapped 270 pike, of which 21 had tags. To the nearest whole number, what is the best estimate for the pike population?
Set up proportion: Set up the proportion based on the capture-recapture method used in the problem. We know:- Tagged pikes initially: 770- Total pikes caught in the second round: 270- Tagged pikes found in the second round: 21We set up the proportion as follows:27021=p770, where p is the estimated total pike population.
Cross multiply: Cross multiply to solve for p: 21×p=770×270.
Solve for p: Solve for p:21×p=207900,p=21207900,p=9900.
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