Chapter 6.1, Problem 22E

Booming Florida At the start of the millennium, New York was the third most populous state in the country, followed by Florida. Since thattime, Florida has experienced faster growth. The population y (in millions) of the given state in year x is approximated by

$\begin{array}{l}\text{Florida}:7y-2x=112\\ \text{New}\text{York}:14y-x=266,\end{array}$

where $x=0$ corresponds to the year 2000. In what year did Florida overtake New York in population? To the nearest million, what was the population of these states at that time? (Data from: US. Census Bureau.)