Problema Solution
A biologist is researching a newly-discovered species of bacteria. At time t = 0 hours, he puts two hundred bacteria into what he has determined to be a favorable growth medium. Eight hours later, he measures 1200 bacteria. Assuming exponential growth, what is the growth constant "k" for the bacteria? (Round k to three decimal places.)
Answer provided by our tutors
The exponential growth of the bacteria is described with the formula:
A = Pe^(kt)
For t = 0 hours P = 200 bacteria
The ending amount is A = 1,200 bacteria at t = 6 hours.
Plug in all the known values into A = Pe^(kt) , and then solve for the growth constant k:
1200 = 200*e^(6k)
200*e^(6k) = 1200
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