Final answer:
It takes 8 generations for a single bacterial cell to become 256.
Step-by-step explanation:
In bacteria, one generation is defined as the time it takes for a population of cells to double. This is known as the generation time. Thus, to determine how many generations it takes for a single bacterial cell to become 256, we can use the formula:
Number of generations = log2(256) = 8
So the correct answer is option c. 8.