Final answer:
In order to find the relative growth rate of a bacterial culture, we can use the formula (ln(N2) - ln(N1)) / (t2 - t1). By plugging in the given values, we find that the relative growth rate is approximately 9.57.
Step-by-step explanation:
To find the relative growth rate, we can use the formula:
Relative Growth Rate = (ln(N2) - ln(N1)) / (t2 - t1)
where N2 and N1 are the final and initial bacterial counts, and t2 and t1 are the corresponding time values.
Plugging in the numbers from the question, we get:
(ln(163840) - ln(2560)) / (8 - 4) = 9.57
Therefore, the relative growth rate is approximately 9.57.