PLEASE HELP ASAP

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JohhnyJOhhny

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A lab tech starts with 5 bacteria in a dish. The bacteria multiply at a steady rate, and 20 hours later there are 77,494 bacteria. At what rate are the bacteria multiplying?
 
what is the difference between the final and starting number of bacteria?

over how long a period did this growth occur?

what then is the constant growth rate?
 
Johhny this is a math help forum where we help students solve their problem. This forum is very different from (paid) sites where they solve your problems for you.
We expect you to participate in solving your problems with helpful hints like the one given by Sir Romsek.

Please follow our posting guideline by posting back what you have done and where you are stuck.

What is the formula for bacteria growth? How many (unknown) constants are there in the formula? How many pieces of information were you given?
 
Jomo said:
Johhny this is a math help forum where we help students solve their problem. This forum is very different from (paid) sites where they solve your problems for you.
We expect you to participate in solving your problems with helpful hints like the one given by Sir Romsek.

Please follow our posting guideline by posting back what you have done and where you are stuck.

What is the formula for bacteria growth? How many (unknown) constants are there in the formula? How many pieces of information were you given?
Click to expand...

Well what Ive written so far is 77494=5(r)^20
 
JohhnyJOhhny said:
A lab tech starts with 5 bacteria in a dish. The bacteria multiply at a steady rate, and 20 hours later there are 77,494 bacteria. At what rate are the bacteria multiplying?
Click to expand...
JohhnyJOhhny said:
Well what Ive written so far is 77494=5(r)^20
Click to expand...
Thanks for eventually showing work; this shows that you were ... exaggerating when you said you don't understand [anything].

That's a good equation, though r will not in itself be the rate at which they multiply. Can you try solving for r?

It will also be helpful if you can look in your textbook or notes for a statement of what they mean by "rate", as that can be interpreted in different ways. Were you given any examples of equations that mentioned the rate of growth?

Here is an example, where they define k in their equation as the "rate of growth": https://www.mathsisfun.com/algebra/exponential-growth.html

Here is another, where they define r in a very different equation as the "growth rate": https://mathbitsnotebook.com/Algebra2/Exponential/EXGrowthDecay.html

Does either look familiar?
 
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