Question

A scientist places 10 bacteria cells in a nutrient-rich petri dish, growing exponentially at a rate of 3.5 cells per hour. Provide the exponential function and determine the cell count after 3 hours.

Answer 1

The exponential function for the growth of bacteria is N = N0 * 2^n. After 3 hours, the cell count is 80 cells.

Step-by-step explanation:

The exponential function for the growth of bacteria can be expressed as N = N0 * 2^n, where N is the final cell count, N0 is the initial cell count, and n is the number of hours.

In this case, N0 = 10 and the growth rate is 3.5 cells per hour. So, after 3 hours, the cell count can be calculated as follows:

N = 10 * 2^3 = 10 * 8 = 80

Therefore, the cell count after 3 hours is 80 cells.