Final answer:
The population of the bacteria culture after 50 days can be calculated using the exponential growth formula P(t) = P0 * e^(rt), where P0 is the initial population, r is the growth rate, and t is the time in days. For an initial population of 10 and a growth rate of 0.2, the population after 50 days is found by evaluating P(50) = 10 * e^(0.2 * 50).
Step-by-step explanation:
The student is asking how to calculate the population of a culture of bacteria after a given time period, given that the population grows exponentially at a constant rate. This is a problem involving exponential growth, which can be solved using the formula for exponential functions:
P(t) = P0 ert
Where:
- P(t) is the population at time t,
- P0 is the initial population,
- r is the growth rate,
- e is the base of the natural logarithm (approximately 2.71828),
- t is the time in days.
In this case, the initial population P0 is 10, the growth rate r is 0.2, and we want to find P(50), the population after 50 days. Plugging these values into the equation we get:
P(50) = 10 * e(0.2 * 50)
Calculating this expression will give us the population after 50 days.