Calculating "population absurdities"

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Elissa Damron
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Homework Statement


The urgency of population problems can be emphasized by calculating such "Population absurdities" as the time at which there will be one person per square meter or per square foot of land or the time at which the weight of people will exceed the weight of the earth. Try calculating these "Population absurdities" by using the world population projections from table 1.4 and the following data concerning the earth
2. Derive the relation between doubling time and growth rate, starting from the exponential-growth relation
N=N0e^(G/100)*t
where N= the growing quantity (number of people, tons of iron ore consumed annually, dollars in bank account, or whatever); N0 is the initial quantity at the start of the time period of interest; G is growth rate expressed in percent per year, and "percent" means "part per hundred"; and t is the time in years over which growth occurs. Keep in mind that doubling time, D, is the length of time required for N to double.
3. Select a single country or small set of related countries; examine recent and projected population growth rates in detail, including the factors contributing to the growth rates and trends in those rates. Compare with similar information for the United States or Canada. A useful starting point may be the latest World Population Data Sheet from the Population Reference Bureau. www.prb.org


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Homework Equations


Mass 5976 x 10^21 kg
Land surface area (approx.) 149,000,000 sq. km
Average weight of human body (approx.) 75 kg

The Attempt at a Solution


don't know where to start
 

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