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A culture of bacteria has an initial population of 65,000 bacteria and doubles every 2 hours. Using the formula [tex]P_t = P_0 \cdot 2^{t/d}[/tex], where:

- [tex]P_t[/tex] is the population after [tex]t[/tex] hours,
- [tex]P_0[/tex] is the initial population,
- [tex]t[/tex] is the time in hours,
- [tex]d[/tex] is the doubling time,

what is the population of bacteria in the culture after 13 hours, to the nearest whole number?

Answer :

To determine the population of bacteria in a culture after a given period of time, we will use the formula for exponential growth:

[tex]\[ P_t = P_0 \cdot 2^{t/d} \][/tex]

where:
- [tex]\( P_t \)[/tex] is the population after [tex]\( t \)[/tex] hours,
- [tex]\( P_0 \)[/tex] is the initial population,
- [tex]\( t \)[/tex] is the time in hours,
- [tex]\( d \)[/tex] is the doubling time in hours.

For this specific problem, the initial population ([tex]\( P_0 \)[/tex]) is 65,000 bacteria, the time ([tex]\( t \)[/tex]) is 13 hours, and the doubling time ([tex]\( d \)[/tex]) is 2 hours. We'll substitute these values into the formula to find the population after 13 hours.

Step-by-step solution:
1. Identify the given values:
- [tex]\( P_0 = 65000 \)[/tex]
- [tex]\( t = 13 \)[/tex]
- [tex]\( d = 2 \)[/tex]

2. Plug these values into the formula [tex]\( P_t = P_0 \cdot 2^{t/d} \)[/tex]:

[tex]\[ P_t = 65000 \cdot 2^{13/2} \][/tex]

3. Calculate the exponent:
[tex]\[ \frac{13}{2} = 6.5 \][/tex]

4. Calculate [tex]\( 2^{6.5} \)[/tex]:
[tex]\[ 2^{6.5} \approx 90.50967 \][/tex]

5. Multiply the initial population by [tex]\( 2^{6.5} \)[/tex]:
[tex]\[ P_t = 65000 \cdot 90.50967 \][/tex]
[tex]\[ P_t \approx 5883128.419472076 \][/tex]

6. Finally, round this population to the nearest whole number:
[tex]\[ P_t \approx 5883128 \][/tex]

Therefore, the population of bacteria in the culture after 13 hours, rounded to the nearest whole number, is approximately 5,883,128 bacteria.

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