A type of bacteria reproduces by splitting in two every thirty minutes. How many bacteria will there be after 4 hours if there are 2 bacteria to begin with?
there will be 16 bacteria.
you take 2 time 4 to find out how many bacteria in one then 2 times 4 is 8 so 8 times 2.. equals 16
We are learning about exponents, I don't think this is the correct answer, anybody esle have a thought?
You're right, Kam. Caitlin's answer is not correct. Please see my post to you above.
The total number is 512.
To solve this problem, we need to determine the number of bacteria after each 30-minute interval and then calculate the final count after 4 hours.
Starting with 2 bacteria, we can determine the number of bacteria at each interval by multiplying the previous count by 2, since the bacteria split in two during each 30-minute period.
Here is a breakdown of the number of bacteria after each 30-minute interval:
- After 30 minutes: 2 bacteria x 2 = 4 bacteria
- After 60 minutes: 4 bacteria x 2 = 8 bacteria
- After 90 minutes: 8 bacteria x 2 = 16 bacteria
- After 120 minutes: 16 bacteria x 2 = 32 bacteria
Now, since we know that four hours is equal to 240 minutes (4 hours x 60 minutes), we can determine the number of bacteria after this duration.
- After 240 minutes: 32 bacteria x 2^8 = 32 bacteria x 256 = 8192 bacteria
Therefore, after 4 hours, there will be 8192 bacteria if there were initially 2 bacteria.