A town's population is 14,000, and it is INCREASING by 160 people every year. A nearby town has population of 24,000 and is DECREASING by 200 every year. In about how many years will the populations of the towns be equal?

it will take 27.8 years for the populations of the towns to be equal.

Step-by-step explanation:

Let x represent the number of years it will take for the populations of the towns to be equal.

A town's population is 14,000, and it is INCREASING by 160 people every year. This means that the town's population after x years is

160x + 14000

A nearby town has population of 24,000 and is DECREASING by 200 every year. This means that the town's population after x years is

24000 - 200x

For the population to be the same, the number of years would be

160x + 14000 = 24000 - 200x

160x + 200x = 24000 - 14000

360x = 10000

x = 10000/360

x = 27.8 years

Step-by-step explanation:

The answer is C