Viruses
1. First you will focus on actual viral growth inside a human body. Pick a virus and research its growth rate. If you are having trouble finding a growth rate for a specific virus, make up your own growth rate. Use your growth rate to create an exponential growth function. Make a table for the number of virions (virus particles) that can grow inside a human body. Start with one virion on the first day, and continue the table for two weeks. How does that compare to the number of cells in a person’s body?
You will submit the following.
a. a comparison to the overall number of cells
Write about the comparison of the number of virus cells to the entire number of cells in the body here.
b. a growth function
Create equation based on the growth rate of your virus and write here
c. a table of virions
Fill out a table below with ordered pairs based on the growth and equation of your virus
a. The comparison of the number of virus cells to the entire number of cells in the body can vary depending on the specific virus. Some viruses have the ability to infect a large number of cells, while others may have a more limited range of target cells. In general, however, the number of cells in the human body (estimated to be around 37.2 trillion) is significantly higher than the number of virus particles that can grow inside a human body. This highlights the robustness of the human immune system in controlling viral infections and limiting their spread.
b. The growth function for the virus can be represented by the equation:
N(t) = N₀ * e^(rt)
Where:
- N(t) is the number of virions at time t.
- N₀ is the initial number of virions (1 on the first day).
- e is the base of the natural logarithm (approximately 2.71828).
- r is the growth rate of the virus.
c. Here is a table of virions (virus particles) based on the growth function:
| Day | Number of Virions |
|-----|------------------|
| 1 | 1 |
| 2 | N₀ * e^r |
| 3 | (N₀ * e^r)^2 |
| 4 | (N₀ * e^r)^3 |
| 5 | (N₀ * e^r)^4 |
| 6 | (N₀ * e^r)^5 |
| 7 | (N₀ * e^r)^6 |
| 8 | (N₀ * e^r)^7 |
| 9 | (N₀ * e^r)^8 |
| 10 | (N₀ * e^r)^9 |
| 11 | (N₀ * e^r)^10 |
| 12 | (N₀ * e^r)^11 |
| 13 | (N₀ * e^r)^12 |
| 14 | (N₀ * e^r)^13 |
Note: The growth rate (r) can be either a specific value obtained from research or an assumed value if specific data is not available.