College

A culture of bacteria has an initial population of 790 bacteria and doubles every 5 hours. Using the formula

\[ [tex] P_t = P_0 \cdot 2^{\frac{t}{d}} [/tex] \]

where:
- \[ [tex] P_t [/tex] \] is the population after \[ [tex] t [/tex] \] hours,
- \[ [tex] P_0 [/tex] \] is the initial population,
- \[ [tex] t [/tex] \] is the time in hours,
- \[ [tex] d [/tex] \] is the doubling time,

what is the population of bacteria in the culture after 14 hours, to the nearest whole number?

Answer :

To find the population of bacteria after 14 hours, we will use the given formula:

[tex]\[ P_t = P_0 \cdot 2^{\frac{t}{d}} \][/tex]

where:
- [tex]\( P_0 = 790 \)[/tex] is the initial population.
- [tex]\( t = 14 \)[/tex] is the time in hours.
- [tex]\( d = 5 \)[/tex] is the doubling time.

Here is how the calculation is done step by step:

1. Substitute the values into the formula:

[tex]\[ P_{14} = 790 \cdot 2^{\frac{14}{5}} \][/tex]

2. Calculate the exponent:

[tex]\[ \frac{14}{5} = 2.8 \][/tex]

3. Calculate [tex]\( 2^{2.8} \)[/tex]:

You find the value of [tex]\( 2^{2.8} \)[/tex] using a calculator, which approximately equals 6.964.

4. Multiply the initial population by this value:

[tex]\[ P_{14} = 790 \times 6.964 \][/tex]

5. Complete the multiplication:

[tex]\[ P_{14} \approx 5501.88 \][/tex]

6. Round to the nearest whole number:

[tex]\[ P_{14} \approx 5502 \][/tex]

So, the population of bacteria in the culture after 14 hours is approximately 5502.