SOLUTION: To determine the size of parks moose population, naturalists catch 72 moose tag them, and then set them free. Mounths later 65 moose are caught, of which 15 have tags. Estimate th

Algebra ->  Radicals -> SOLUTION: To determine the size of parks moose population, naturalists catch 72 moose tag them, and then set them free. Mounths later 65 moose are caught, of which 15 have tags. Estimate th      Log On


   

Question 796646: To determine the size of parks moose population, naturalists catch 72 moose tag them, and then set them free. Mounths later 65 moose are caught, of which 15 have tags. Estimate the size of the moose population.
Answer by josgarithmetic(39617) About Me  (Show Source):
You can put this solution on YOUR website!
The tags have become diluted to 15%2F65, approximately.

The unknown moose population was p. When releasing the 72 tagged moose, the tag concentration was to months later become 72%2Fp. Now, the months later, after checking the 65 caught moose, we expect the two ratios to be equal:

72%2Fp=15%2F65, a proportion.
Their reciprocals are equal,
p%2F72=65%2F15
p=72%2A65%2F15=72%2A%2813%2F3%29=24%2A13
p=312, but a good estimate may also be 300 or 310.