Question

In an experiment to study the growth of bacteria, a medical student measured 5000 bacteria at time 0 and 8000 at time 10 minutes. assuming that the number of bacteria grows exponentially, how many bacteria will be present after 30 minutes?

Answer 1

Usig the formula; Nt = N0 * ( 1 + r)^t
where:
Nt: The amount at time t
N0: The amount at time 0
r: Growth rate
t: Time passed

First we calculate r (the exponential growth rate); 8000 = 5000 * (1+r)^10
r = 0.048

Therefore in 30 minutes;
Nt = 5000 * (1+0.048)^30
Nt = 20500