Question

A microbiologist inoculates a flask of broth to a concentration of 100 bacterial cells per ml. the generation time of the species is 1 hour, and there is no lag phase. how long will it be before the culture contains more than 6,000 cells per ml?

Answer 1

1 hour = 200 (100 * 2^1)
2 hours = 400 (100 * 2^2)
3 hours = 800 (100 * 2^3)
4 hours = 1600 (100 * 2^4)
5 hours = 3200 (100 * 2^5)
6 hours = 6400 (100 * 2^6)

It will take 6 hours before the culture contains more than 6,000 cells per ml.