The population of a town increases 10% every 3 years. If the present population of the town is 72.600, calculate
its population 6 years ago.

Answer

To find the population of the town 6 years ago, we can follow these steps:

### Step 1: Understand the population increase
The population increases by 10% every 3 years. This means that after 3 years, the population will be multiplied by 1.1 (which is 100% + 10%).

### Step 2: Set up the equation
Let the population 6 years ago be \( x \). After 3 years, the population will be:
\[ x \times 1.1 \]
After another 3 years (which is a total of 6 years), the population will be:
\[ (x \times 1.1) \times 1.1 = x \times (1.1)^2 = x \times 1.21 \]

### Step 3: Use the present population
We know that the present population is 72,600. Therefore, we can set up the equation:
\[ x \times 1.21 = 72,600 \]

### Step 4: Solve for \( x \)
To find \( x \), we divide both sides of the equation by 1.21:
\[ x = \frac{72,600}{1.21} \]

### Step 5: Calculate the value
Now, we perform the division:
\[ x = \frac{72,600}{1.21} \approx 60,000 \]

### Conclusion
Thus, the population of the town 6 years ago was approximately **60,000**.

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