A reptile park technician counted the lizards at the park. The officials at the park expect the number of lizards to increase every three months. The approximate number of lizards at the park, t years after the count was taken is shown by the following expression. 1,500(1.29)^4t Which statement below best describes the coefficient, 1,500? A. the initial lizard count B. the rate at which the number of lizards is increasing C. the number of times the number of lizards has compounded since it was counted D. the increase in the number of lizards at the park in a three-month period

## Step 1
The given expression is $1,500(1.29)^{4t}$. This is an exponential growth formula, which is generally represented in the form $y = ab^x$, where $a$ is the initial amount, $b$ is the growth factor, and $x$ is the time.

## Step 2
In this case, the coefficient 1,500 is the initial amount of lizards at the park when the count was taken. This is because in the exponential growth formula, the coefficient $a$ represents the initial amount.

## Step 3
The other options do not accurately describe the coefficient 1,500. The rate at which the number of lizards is increasing is represented by the base of the exponent, which is 1.29 in this case. The number of times the number of lizards has compounded since it was counted is represented by the exponent, which is $4t$ in this case. The increase in the number of lizards at the park in a three-month period is not represented by the coefficient 1,500.