Final answer:
The subject of this question is biology. The question involves exponential growth in bacteria cultures when an antibiotic is introduced.
Step-by-step explanation:
The subject of this question is biology. The question involves exponential growth in bacteria cultures when an antibiotic is introduced. The student is given the information that when an antibiotic is introduced into a culture of 50,000 bacteria, the number of bacteria decreases exponentially, and after 6 hours, there are only 20,000 bacteria remaining.
To answer the question, we can first calculate the growth rate or doubling time of the bacteria culture. We know that initially there were 50,000 bacteria and after 6 hours there are 20,000 bacteria. To find the doubling time, we can use the formula doubling time = time / number of doublings. In this case, the time is 6 hours and the number of doublings can be calculated as the logarithm base 2 of the ratio of the final number of bacteria to the initial number of bacteria. So, the doubling time would be 6 / log2(20000/50000).
By calculating the doubling time, we can determine how long it takes for the bacteria population to double. This will provide insight into the growth rate and exponential decrease observed in the bacteria culture when the antibiotic is introduced. Additionally, it highlights the importance of understanding bacterial growth and the potential impact of antibiotics on bacterial populations.