Question

The growth of bacteria is modeled as P = P0ert. In a sample culture, the bacteria grows at a rate of 6 percent per minute. If the initial count in the sample is 1,000, how many bacteria will there be after five minutes? (Consider e = 2.718.)
A) 1,005
B) 1,030
C) 1,350
D) 2,350
E) 20,079

Answer 1

Initial number of Bacteria = Po = 1000
Growth rate = r = 6% = 0.06
We want to find the number of Bacteria after 5 minutes.

Using the given equation, we can write:

$P= P_{o}e^{rt} \\ \\ P=1000(2.718)^{0.06*5} \\ \\ P=1000(2.718)^{0.3} \\ \\ P=1350$

Rounding of to nearest integer, the number of Bacteria after 5 minutes will be 1350. So option C gives the correct answer