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If a culture starts with 50 cells, how many cells will be present after five generations with no cell death?

a) 200
b) 400
c) 800
d) 1600

User Theadam
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1 Answer

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Final answer:

The number of cells after five generations, with a starting point of 50 cells and no cell death, is calculated using exponential growth and results in 1600 cells.

Step-by-step explanation:

If a culture starts with 50 cells and there is no cell death, the number of cells present after five generations can be calculated using the formula for exponential growth, which is 2^n, where n is the number of generations. Since each generation the cells double in number, after one generation there will be 50 x 2, after two generations 50 x 2 x 2, and so on. Therefore, after five generations, you would calculate 50 x 2^5 (50 x 32), resulting in a total of 1600 cells.

User Tyheem
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