Whale Simulation - Loops, Input/Output files

 

Write a C++ program to solve the following problem.

 

Background  Most animal species have a minimum population threshold number.  What this means is that if fewer than this number of animals exist, the population stops breeding and the species will die out, even if there are still breeding pairs.

 

Sometimes the population survival threshold is in the thousands, for example, as was the case with the passenger pigeon.  Sometimes the threshold is low.  It varies with the species.  The population survival threshold for the Right Whale is about 165.  Currently there are about 1500 Right Whales left in the South Atlantic (near Argentina).  Their numbers continue to decrease due to hunting pressures.  (The Right Whale is so named because it floats when killed.  This makes it easier to retrieve and the "right" whale to be killed.)

 

For a current right whale update click on:  http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/pr/mm/rightwhales/rwconservation.htm

 

You may assume that

1.   At the beginning of each year, if breeding took place, the population will increase by 5 percent due to new births.

2.   No hunting will take place at the start of the year.  Therefore the entire population increase will occur if breeding takes place.

3.   About 17 percent of the population will be killed after the hunting season starts.  Include newborns in this total, i.e. calculate after you increment the population numbers from breeding

4.   As a simplification, the gestation period can be ignored.  (The gestation period is the length of pregnancy.)

5.   Breeding stops when the population becomes less than 165.

 

These assumptions are obviously not enough to accurately describe the entire situation.  What you are being asked to do is to solve a simplified problem. 

 

Your task:  Write a C++ program using the while loop to calculate when the population ceases breeding and thus dies out.  You do not have to input any values.  Define the birth percentage, kill percentage, and survival threshold using constant variable declarations.

 

Your output (to a file) should be similar to this. 

 

YEAR

ALIVE AT START

NEW BIRTHS

KILLED

ALIVE AT END

1

1500

75

267

1308

2

1308

65

233

1140

3

1140

57

203

994

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This program written by Insert your name here.

 

 

In your calculations, do not count fractional births or deaths.  For example, 6.3 should be considered to be 6 and 45.8 should be considered to be 45.