# Math Help - Help with a problem

1. ## Help with a problem

One treatment of Roche's Tamiflu is usually 10 pills taken over 5 days. Tamiflu production was 5.5 million treatments in 2002 and has approximately doubled each year since then.

a. Let $n=g(t)$ be the number of treatments (in millions) produced in the year that is t years since 2002. Find an equation of g.

My answer: $g(t)=5.5(2)^t$

b. What is the n-intercept of the model? What does it mean in this situation?

My answer: (0,5.5); In 2002, 5.5 million treatments of Tamiflu were produced.

c. Predict the number of treatments that will be produced in 2007.

My answer: $g(5)=176$. In 2007, 176 million treatments of Tamiflu will be produced.

d. Roche plans to produce 300 million treatments in 2007. If that happens, will production continue to double each year from 2002 to 2007? Explain.

- I am completely lost on this problem. What would be the answer and why?

Also, do I have the correct answers for problems a, b and c?

2. Originally Posted by mt_lapin
One treatment of Roche's Tamiflu is usually 10 pills taken over 5 days. Tamiflu production was 5.5 million treatments in 2002 and has approximately doubled each year since then.

a. Let $n=g(t)$ be the number of treatments (in millions) produced in the year that is t years since 2002. Find an equation of g.

My answer: $g(t)=5.5(2)^t$ ........ OK

b. What is the n-intercept of the model? What does it mean in this situation?

My answer: (0,5.5); In 2002, 5.5 million treatments of Tamiflu were produced. ........ OK It's the initial output.

c. Predict the number of treatments that will be produced in 2007.

My answer: $g(5)=176$. In 2007, 176 million treatments of Tamiflu will be produced. ........ OK

d. Roche plans to produce 300 million treatments in 2007. If that happens, will production continue to double each year from 2002 to 2007? Explain.

What would the answer be and why?

...
Obviously it is impossible to reach an output of 300Mill. treatments with the equation of g(t). Therefore you have to calculate a new base:

$300 = 5.5 \cdot b^5~\iff~ \frac{300}{5.5} = b^5$

I've got $b \approx 2.225$