Answer: The continuous growth rate of koalas is 18.7%.
We use the formula for continuous growth to find the rate of growth. The formula is:
[tex]Population_{2007} = Population_{1996}*e^{rt}[/tex]
Substituting the values we get,
[tex]26000 = 5000*2.71828^{9r}[/tex]
[tex]\frac{26000}{5000} = 2.71828^{9r}[/tex]
[tex]5.4 = 2.71828^{9r}[/tex]
We can solve this equation further by taking the normal log of both sides of the equation.
[tex]ln5.4 = 9r * ln2.71828[/tex]
[tex]1.686398954=9r*0.999999327[/tex]
[tex]1.686398954=8.999993946r[/tex]
[tex]\frac{1.686398954}{8.999993946} =r[/tex]
[tex]0.187377788 = r[/tex]