Question

Proteus vulgaris has a doubling time of roughly 28 minutes. If an initial population of 500 cells is allowed to grow for 6 hours in ideal conditions, what will be the final population? Use three significant figures for your final answer.

Answer 1

Answer: The final population of Proteus vulgaris after 6 hours is
`3.71* 10^(6)cells`

Step-by-step explanation:

We are given:

Proteus vulgaris divides and doubles every 28 minutes

Total time given = 6 hours = 360 min (Conversion factor: 1 hr = 60 min)

Number of times Proteus vulgaris doubles in 6 hours =
`(360min)/(28min)=12.857times`

Calculating the number of bacteria after 6 hours under ideal conditions:

We are given:

Initial population = 500 cells

Number of times it doubles = 12.857 times

Final Proteus vulgaris population =
`500* 2^(12.857)=3709476.8=3.71* 10^(6)cells`

Hence, the final population of Proteus vulgaris after 6 hours is
`3.71* 10^(6)cells`