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The population of a town is recorded over several years. The data is shown in the table below.
\(t\) (year) 2000 2005 2015 2020
\(P\) (population) 5,000 5,500 8,000 12,000
  1. Find the average rate of change of the population (in people per year):
    1. between 2000 and 2005.
    2. between 2005 and 2015.
    3. between 2015 and 2020.
  2. What do these rates of change suggest about the town's growth?

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