The population of a town is 32000. It increase by 15% during the first year. During the second year it decreases by 20% and increased by 2% during the third year. What is the population after 3 years?a.30028b.31280c.36800d.38600

To solve this problem, we need to apply the percentage changes year by year to the initial population.

1. First year: The population increases by 15%. To calculate this, we multiply the initial population by 15% (or 0.15) and add the result to the initial population.

   32000 + (32000 * 0.15) = 32000 + 4800 = 36800

2. Second year: The population decreases by 20%. We apply the same process, but this time we subtract the result from the population at the end of the first year.

   36800 - (36800 * 0.20) = 36800 - 7360 = 29440

3. Third year: The population increases by 2%. Again, we multiply the population at the end of the second year by 2% and add the result to this population.

   29440 + (29440 * 0.02) = 29440 + 588.8 = 30028.8

Since the population must be a whole number, we round 30028.8 to the nearest whole number, which is 30028.

So, the population of the town after 3 years is 30028. Therefore, the correct answer is a. 30028.