Final answer:
The student's question requires understanding and applying the exponential growth model
to a bacteria growth problem, including finding the initial population, the population after a set time, and the time required for the population to double.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question pertains to exponential growth, which is a crucial concept in various scientific fields, including biology and finance. Exponential growth occurs when a quantity increases at a rate proportional to its current value, such as populations or investments that grow continuously over time. The student's question involves using the mathematical model
to solve problems about bacteria growth.
Initial Number of Bacteria
To find the initial number of bacteria, we look at the equation
and observe that when t is 0, the initial amount P is thus A(0) = 400. This represents the population of bacteria at t = 0.
Number of Bacteria After 15 Minutes
After 15 minutes, to find the number of bacteria, we substitute t with 15 in the equation, resulting in
. Calculating this value will give us the number of bacteria after 15 minutes, rounded to the nearest whole number.
Time for Bacteria to Double
For the population to double, we need to find the time t where A(t) is equal to twice the initial population:
. Solving this equation for t will give us the time required for the bacteria population to double.