1. **State the problem:** A town has a population of 7000 and grows at 4% every year. We need to find the population after 13 years, rounded to the nearest whole number. 2. **Formula used:** The population growth can be modeled by the exponential growth formula: $$P = P_0 (1 + r)^t$$ where: - $P$ is the population after time $t$ - $P_0$ is the initial population - $r$ is the growth rate (as a decimal) - $t$ is the time in years 3. **Identify values:** - $P_0 = 7000$ - $r = 0.04$ (4% growth rate) - $t = 13$ 4. **Calculate:** $$P = 7000 (1 + 0.04)^{13} = 7000 (1.04)^{13}$$ 5. **Evaluate the power:** $$ (1.04)^{13} \approx 1.04^{13} = 1.04 \times 1.04 \times \cdots \times 1.04 \approx 1.6658$$ 6. **Multiply:** $$P = 7000 \times 1.6658 = 11660.6$$ 7. **Round to nearest whole number:** $$P \approx 11661$$ **Final answer:** The population after 13 years will be approximately **11661**.