At a temperature of 20°C the common amoeba reproduces by splitting in half every 24 hours.?

Question

(Still part of the question)
If we start with a single amoeba how many will there be after
(a) 8 days, (b)16 days?

How do you work this problem out?

Answer 1

after 8 days
amoeba = 1x2x2x2x2x2x2x2
= 128
after 16 days
amoeba = 1x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2
= 6544

Answer 2

For this growth rate, the equation for the number N present after t days is N = A*2^t, where A is the number initially present. In your problem, A = 1, so after 8 days, N = 1*2^8, and with t = 16, N = 1*2^16.

Answer 3

This is the famous Fibonacii sequence where said Italian contemplated rabbits and concluded that, after a short time, a sphere of rabbits would shoot out into space at the speed of light. The sequence is formed by each element being the sum of the previous two.

In your case: [1, 2,] 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, etc.... So 34 after 8 days. I'll leave the 16 days to your computer.:-)