The population of deer in a forest has been increasing by 3 percent every 2 months. The population at the beginning of 2020 was estimated to be 325. If $P$ represents the population of deer $t$ years after 2020, which of the following equations gives the population of deer over time?

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Since the population is increasing by a percentage rather than a fixed amount, the equation must be exponential. The first two linear equations are not suitable for the situation.

We expect the deer to increase by 3% after 2 months, which is the same as $\dfrac{1}{6}$ of a year. The exponential mode that reflects this is:

$$P=325(1.03)^{6t}$$

When $t=\frac{1}{6}$,

$$P=325(1.03)^{6(\frac{1}{6})}$$ $$P=325(1.03)^1$$ $$P=325(1.03)$$