Use a proportion to solve the problem.
-To determine the number of fish in a lake, a park ranger catches 240 fish, tags them, and returns them to the lake. Later, 72 fish are caught, and it is found that 20 of them are tagged. Estimate the number of fish in the lake.
A) 6 fish
B) 345,600 fish
C) 864 fish
D) 67 fish

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The proportion of tagged fish in the sample (20 out of 72) should be equal to the proportion of all tagged fish in the lake (240 out of the total number of fish). Setting up the proportion 20/72 = 240/x and solving for x gives x = 864, estimating the total number of fish in the lake.

Use a Proportion to Solve the Problem