Final answer:
No, a cell that doubles in size every 2 hours cannot be modeled with a linear function. It requires an exponential function.
Step-by-step explanation:
No, a cell that doubles in size every 2 hours cannot be modeled with a linear function. A linear function represents a constant rate of change, where the cell would increase by the same amount every 2 hours. However, in this case, the size of the cell is doubling, which means it is increasing exponentially.
To model the growth of a cell that doubles in size every 2 hours, you would need to use an exponential function. An exponential function has the form y = a * b^x, where y is the size of the cell, a is the initial size of the cell, b is the growth factor (2 in this case), and x is the number of time intervals (in this case, the number of 2-hour periods).
For example, if the initial size of the cell is 1 micrometer, the exponential function would be y = 1 * 2^x. After 2 hours, the cell would be 2 micrometers (1 * 2^1). After 4 hours, it would be 4 micrometers (1 * 2^2), and so on.
Learn more about Exponential Growth