We have been given that a population of fish initially grows according to the equation [tex]P=350(1.09)^t[/tex], where where t is time in years and P is the number of fish. We are asked to determine what does 350 represent.
We know that an exponential function is in form [tex]y=a\cdot b^x[/tex], where,
y = Final value,
a = Initial value,
b = Growth factor,
x = Time.
Upon comparing equation [tex]P=350(1.09)^t[/tex] with standard exponential equation, we can see that the value of 'a' is 350 and growth factor is 1.09.
Therefore, 350 represent initial population of fish.