bacterias here and there

Algebra Level 1

Bacteria reproduce by splitting in two.If a single bacteria divides every 20 mins, how many bacteria will a single bacteria produce after 8h? Write your answer and what assumption you made!!!

2097152 5 bacteria died 4194304 3 bacteria died 16777216 none of the bacteria died 8388608 bacteria reproduced rapidly

Yaashi Pathak by yaashi pathak , 21, Canada

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4 solutions

Elliott Macneil
Mar 1, 2014

Seeing as the bacteria split in two, every 20 minutes, it would have split in two 24 times in 8 hours.This can be represented as 2x2x2x2x2x2x...(24 times) or 2^24.This is equal to 16777216.

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The answer is wrong.A single bacterium is reproducing at the start,therefore we need to find the 23rd term in the GP of 1,2,4,8,16,32....etc.24th term is 2^23.Hence answer is 8388608

Mohamed Rameez - 7 years, 3 months ago

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The bacterium does not reproduce at the start..it starts after 20 mins.so it reproduces in the time intervals 20,40,60,80,......480 which is 24 times Excluding 1.so,the G.P is 2,4,........2^24 which leads to the correct answer d

Ajith Kumar - 7 years, 3 months ago

Hello,

let a single bacteria(splits by 2) = 2^n, where n is number of time splitting(every 20 mins),

n = 8 / (1/3) = 24,

therefore, 2^n = 2^24 = 16 777 216 bacterias are produced(none of them are died),

thanks....

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James Hirow
Mar 22, 2014

2^24 , one hour = 2^3 ; (3 times )*(8 hs ) = 24

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Yaashi Pathak
Mar 2, 2014

As a single bacteria starts by splitting in two we start with 2. They split once in every minute therefore they with split 24 times in 8 hours. 8×60=480 480÷20=24 2^24=16777216 Therefore there will be 16777216 bacteria after 8 hours Assumption: none of the bacteria died (Because even if one bacteria died the chain will break!!!)

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