To determine the size of California in square miles given the population and population density, follow these steps:
1. Understand the key terms:
- Population is the total number of people living in a specific area.
- Population density is the measure of the number of people per unit area (in this case, per square mile).
2. Identify the given values:
- Population of California = 39,144,818 people
- Population density = 251 people per square mile
3. Use the formula for population density to find the area:
[tex]\[ \text{Population Density} = \frac{\text{Population}}{\text{Area}} \][/tex]
4. Rearrange the formula to solve for the area:
[tex]\[ \text{Area} = \frac{\text{Population}}{\text{Population Density}} \][/tex]
5. Substitute the given values into the formula:
[tex]\[ \text{Area} = \frac{39,144,818 \text{ people}}{251 \text{ people per square mile}} \][/tex]
6. Compute the value:
[tex]\[ \text{Area} = 155,955.4501992032 \text{ square miles} \][/tex]
Therefore, the area of California, based on the given population and population density, is approximately 155,955.45 square miles.
