Cheese production in a country is currently growing at a rate of 3% per year. The equation y=7.1(1.03)ˣ models the cheese production in the country from 2003 to 2009 . In this equation, y is the amount of cheese produced, in billions of pounds, and x represents the number of years after 2003.
a. Estimate the total cheese production in the country in 2006.
b. Assuming this equation continues to be valid in the future, use the equation to predict the total amount of cheese produced in the country in 2014.
a. The total cheese production in the country in 2006 was about _____ billions of pounds.
(Round to the nearest tenth as needed.)