Answer:
The correct option is D.
Step-by-step explanation:
Let x denote the years.
The information provided is:
From the provided data derive the equation for the population of Smallville x years after as follows:
[tex]Y = [\frac{1}{2}\cdot (7420-152x)]-1200[/tex]
The population of Smallville is 2282 after x years.
Compute the value of x as follows:
[tex]2282= [\frac{1}{2}\cdot (7420-152x)]-1200[/tex]
[tex]\frac{7420-152x}{2}=2282+1200\\\\7420-152x=3482\times 2\\\\152x=7420-6964\\\\152x=456\\\\x=3[/tex]
Thus, the time it will take for Smallville's population to reach 2282 is 3 years.
The correct option is D.