Final answer:
Bacteria demonstrate exponential growth by doubling their population size every generation under ideal conditions. Starting with 1000 bacteria, the number doubles each hour, illustrating the concept of an accelerating growth rate. After 24 hours of continuous growth, the population would exceed 16 billion.
Step-by-step explanation:
Exponential growth in a bacterial population is a classic example of how organisms, particularly bacteria, can multiply rapidly under favorable conditions. Bacteria reproduce by a process known as prokaryotic fission. Assuming no limitations on resources or space, if 1000 bacteria are placed in a flask, after one hour, each one would divide, resulting in 2000 bacteria–an increase of 1000. This process continues each hour, with the population doubling, so after two hours, there would be 4000 bacteria, and after the third hour, there would be 8000 bacteria.
The rate of growth accelerates as the population size increases. The concept here to understand is that for every division cycle, the amount of new organisms that are added is doubling. After 24 hours of uninterrupted growth at a constant rate, the population would skyrocket. This is exponential growth, and when graphed, it typically forms a J-shaped curve on an arithmetic scale or a linear line on a semilogarithmic scale.
It's also important to note that in real-life scenarios, environmental factors and nutrient depletion eventually slow down population growth, leading to a more complex sigmoid (S-shaped) growth curve. However, if we purely look at the ideal case of exponential growth, the population expansion is extraordinarily rapid.