Question 34

The population was 8 million in 2010.

P(10) = 8 indicates that 10 years after 2000, which is the year 2010, the population of the city is 8 million. This statement directly reflects the interpretation of the function P(t) at t = 10.

A) The population increases by 10 million every 8 years.

This option is incorrect because it misinterprets the function's representation of population over time. The function does not indicate a consistent increase of 10 million every 8 years; rather, it provides a specific population value at a given time.

B) The population increases by 8 million every 10 years.

This statement is also incorrect. While it mentions a population increase, it does not accurately reflect the value of P(10) = 8, which indicates the total population at that time rather than a growth rate or increase.

C) The population was 10 million in 2008.

This option is incorrect as it misrepresents the population figure for the year 2008. According to P(t), the population in 2008 (which is 8 years after 2000) is not provided as 10 million, and the correct interpretation is not reflected here.

D) The population was 8 million in 2010.

This option is correct because it accurately interprets the function P(t) at t = 10, which corresponds to the year 2010, indicating that the population at that time is 8 million.

Conclusion

The correct interpretation is that in the year 2010, the population of the city was 8 million, as indicated by P(10) = 8. All other options fail to accurately reflect the meaning of the function or misinterpret the population values for the relevant years, thus reinforcing the validity of option D.