Since the population is growing linearly, we can use the slope-intercept form of a linear equation:

$P = mx + b$

where:

• $P$ is the population
• $x$ is the number of years after 2003
• $m$ is the rate of population growth per year (slope)
• $b$ is the initial population in 2003 (y-intercept)

From the problem:

• The initial population in 2003 is 44,000, so $b = 44000$.
• The growth rate is 2,200 people per year, so $m = 2200$.

Thus, the equation for the population is:

$P = 2200x + 44000$

Do you want more details or have any questions?

Here are five related questions to expand on this topic:

1. What will the population be in 2025 using this model?
2. In what year will the population reach 100,000?
3. If the growth rate changed to 3,000 people per year, how would the equation change?
4. What does the slope represent in this equation?
5. How would the equation change if the population were decreasing by 1,500 people per year instead?

Math Tip:

In a linear equation $y = mx + b$, the slope ($m$) tells us how fast something is increasing or decreasing over time.