The use of mathematical models which describe the evolution of populations through the time (increase or decrease) can be very useful for making choices in preventing or controlling growth. There are so many mathematical tools available and an appropriate choice depends not only on the information but also on the expected goals as well. Aiming to explore mathematical ideas in high school, in this work some models are presented to describe the increase of São Paulo State's population, using different functions. Different growth rates are explored and the basic features and hypotheses of each proposed model are presented. A quantitative and qualitative comparison is made to validate the obtained models.
Mathematical models; dynamics of population; growth rates
