In a lab experiment, a population of 250 bacteria is able to triple every hour. Which equation matches the number of bacteria in the population after 2 hours?B=250(3)2B=3(250)2B=3(250)(250)B=250(3)(3)(3)(3)
Q. In a lab experiment, a population of 250 bacteria is able to triple every hour. Which equation matches the number of bacteria in the population after 2 hours?B=250(3)2B=3(250)2B=3(250)(250)B=250(3)(3)(3)(3)
Define variables: Let's define the variables for the equation. We have an initial population of bacteria, which we'll call P0, and a growth rate, which we'll call r. In this case, P0 is 250 and the bacteria triple every hour, so r is 3. We want to find the population after 2 hours, which we'll call P2.
General formula: The general formula for exponential growth is P=P0×rt, where P is the population at time t, P0 is the initial population, r is the growth rate, and t is the time in hours. In this case, we want to find P2, so we will plug in 2 for t.
Substitute values: Substitute the known values into the equation: P=250×32. This represents the population after 2 hours, where 250 is the initial population and 32 is the growth factor after 2 hours.
Calculate growth factor: Calculate the growth factor: 32=3×3=9. This means the population will be 9 times larger after 2 hours.
Multiply initial population: Multiply the initial population by the growth factor to find the population after 2 hours: P2=250×9.
Perform multiplication: Perform the multiplication: P2=250×9=2250. This is the number of bacteria in the population after 2 hours.
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