numerical: bacterial growth

Question

A bacterial culture in log phase doubles every 30 minutes. Starting with 5 x 10^3 cells, how many cells will be present after 2 hours assuming ideal conditions?

RankGuru · Accepted Answer

1. **Calculate Number of Generations ($n$)**: 
   - Total time = 2 hours = 120 minutes.
   - Generation (doubling) time = 30 minutes.
   - $n = \frac{120}{30} = 4$ generations.
2. **Calculate Final Population**: 
   - $Final \ Population = Initial \ Population 	imes 2^n$
   - $Final \ Population = (5 	imes 10^3) 	imes 2^4 = (5 	imes 10^3) 	imes 16$
   - $Final \ Population = 80 	imes 10^3 = \mathbf{8 	imes 10^4}$.

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numerical: bacterial growth

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