If the generation time of a bacterium is 10 hours, and you incubate 100 cells of this bacterium for 20 hours, how many cells will you have at the end of the 20 hours? Group of answer choices
10
100
10,000
20,000
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is 10,000 cells.
Explanation:
The generation time of a bacterium refers to the time it takes for the population to double. In this case, the generation time is 10 hours, meaning that every 10 hours, the number of bacteria will double.
You start with 100 cells, and after 20 hours, the bacteria will undergo two doubling periods (because 20 hours ÷ 10 hours = 2 generations).
- After the first 10 hours, the number of bacteria will double: 100 cells×2=200 cells100 \, \text{cells} \times 2 = 200 \, \text{cells}
- After the next 10 hours (the second generation), the population will double again: 200 cells×2=400 cells200 \, \text{cells} \times 2 = 400 \, \text{cells}
So, after 20 hours, the population will consist of 400 cells.
However, it’s important to remember that these are simple calculations and don’t consider factors like nutrient limitations or other growth restrictions. Also, the number of cells follows an exponential growth pattern, where the number of cells doubles after each generation time.