Estimate amount of possums in the park

[recoil33]

1. Urula is doing a project and has caughed, tagged and released 50 possums. Estimate the population of the possums in the park. Three nights later she captures a sample.



2. If ursula captures 20 possums and 4 of them are tagged, what would her estimate of the local possum population be?



3.
4/20
= 0.2
0.2 x 100 = 20%

50 x (100/20) = 250
Just want to know on reassurance, I am not sure were to start here!

 

[AliDimayev]

I get 250 as well as an answer.

 

[HallsofIvy]

Yes, 1/5 of the possums in the sample are tagged so, assuming that she tagged throughout the park and got her sample from throughout the park, the most reasonable assumption is that 1/5 of the possums in the park were tagged. Since she tagged 50 possums, there would be 5(50)= 250 possums in the park.