Solving a Population Growth Problem

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Homework Help Overview

The problem involves determining the possible population of a hometown in 2008 based on given figures from 2006 and 2007. The population must be a five-digit number using specific digits and must grow by a multiple of 9, while remaining under 20,000.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Assumption checking, Problem interpretation

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants discuss the constraints of the problem, including the requirement for the population to be a multiple of 9 and the specific digits that can be used. Some participants express confusion over the interpretation of the growth condition.

Discussion Status

There is an ongoing exploration of possible population values, with some participants suggesting specific numbers and questioning their divisibility by 9. Others emphasize the importance of understanding the growth condition rather than just finding a number that fits the criteria.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the need to show their working process as per forum policy, and there is a mention of the original poster's frustration with the problem's complexity and their attempts to find a solution.

math2014
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Ok so this is homework question, i know it is supposed to be here but the math question would not go in any homewrok category i need help and my parents do not even know how to solve it. Math question:




The population of Heidi's hometown is 18,079 people in 2006. In 2007 it was 19,087 people. During 2008 the towns population grew by an amount that was a multiple of 9. The population was less than 20,000 people and used the five digits 1,9,0,8, and 7. What could have been the population at the end of 2008? Can you find all possible answers? Explain how you know.



READ THE PROBLEM CAREFULLY. Also remember the population grew, not decreased. Please help me.


I have divided and did everything to get the population. There is no possible population if you agree say you agree if not tell me what i did wrong.
 
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math2014 said:
Ok so this is homework question, i know it is supposed to be here but the math question would not go in any homewrok category i need help and my parents do not even know how to solve it. Math question:




The population of Heidi's hometown is 18,079 people in 2006. In 2007 it was 19,087 people. During 2008 the towns population grew by an amount that was a multiple of 9. The population was less than 20,000 people and used the five digits 1,9,0,8, and 7. What could have been the population at the end of 2008? Can you find all possible answers? Explain how you know.



READ THE PROBLEM CAREFULLY. Also remember the population grew, not decreased. Please help me.


I have divided and did everything to get the population. There is no possible population if you agree say you agree if not tell me what i did wrong.

I can see four possible values for the population.

If you outline specifically what you did, I can help.

But it is the policy here that you must show your working up until the point you became stuck,
 
If two numbers consist of the same digits, just in a different order, what can you say about factors of the difference of the two numbers?
 
BOAS said:
I can see four possible values for the population.

If you outline specifically what you did, I can help.

But it is the policy here that you must show your working up until the point you became stuck,



I divided 19,708 , 19,807 , 19,780 , and 19870 by nine but none were divisible
 
math2014 said:
I divided 19,708 , 19,807 , 19,780 , and 19870 by nine but none were divisible
Read the question again:
grew by an amount that was a multiple of 9
 
Just tell me the answer
 
math2014 said:
Just tell me the answer

No, that's not how these forums work.
Don't expect the answers to this question to be numbers that are divisible by 9. It says the population "grew by" a number that's divisible by 9. It does not say "grew to" a number that's divisible by 9.

18,079 people in 2006. In 2007 it was 19,087 people
How much did the population grow by in that case? Is that number divisible by 9? How might you have realized whether it would be divisible by 9 without even calculating the number?
Take any number, any number of digits. Make another number by shuffling the digits around. Subtract the one from other. Is the result divisible by 9?
 

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