Question - If bacteria reproduce every 30 seconds, how many at the end of 100?

Question

Bacteria reproduce every 30 seconds. For example, at 0 seconds there is one bacteria. At 30 seconds there are 2. At 60 seconds there are 4, etc.

How many bacteria are there at the end of 100 seconds?

Do I solve it with logic (that bacteria don't reproduce that fast) or graph?

Answer 1

At the end of 90 there would be 8. This would not increase again until 120 seconds. So at the end of 100 seconds it would be 8.

The reproduction occures at 30 second intervals. It is not a continuous process and there are no mid points between the descrete points.

Answer 2

The number of bacteria is:

B = 2 ^ (t / 30)

At t = 0, B = 2^0 = 1
At t = 30, B = 2^(30/30) = 2^1 = 2
At t = 60, B = 2^(60/30) = 2^2 = 4

At t = 100, B = 2^(100/30) = 2^3.3333 = 10.07 bacteria

So I'd say there are 10 bacteria, IF it's a continuous thing.

But if they reproduce EXACTLY every thirty seconds, then they would have reproduced to make 8 bacteria at t = 90 seconds, and would not have reproduced again at t = 100 seconds.

So the answer is either 8 OR 10, depending on your assumptions.

Answer 3

In hundred seconds , the no. of bacteria will be 8.
But the 8 bacteria will surely hv got their nucleus divided and wait foe another 20 sec. & u will hv 16 bacterias

Answer 4

I dont know what age they start reproducing.Maybe 8