In a lab setting, E. coli bacteria can double every 20 minutes. An E. coli culture that starts with 10 E. coli can be modeled by f(t)=10⋅2^t , where t is the number of 20-minute increments after the culture was started. What is the E. coli population 4 hours after the culture was started?(1 point)
4 hours is equivalent to 240 minutes. Since each increment represents 20 minutes, there are 240/20 = <<240/20=12>>12 increments in 4 hours.
To find the population after 4 hours, we substitute t=12 into the equation f(t) = 10⋅2^t.
f(12) = 10⋅2^12 = 10⋅4096 = 40960.
So, the E. coli population 4 hours after the culture was started is 40,960. Answer: \boxed{40960}.