Problem

The number of bacteria in a certain population is predicted to increase according to a continuous exponential growth model, at a relative rate of $17 \%$ per hour. Suppose that a sample culture has an initial population of 95 bacteria. Find the population predicted after five hours, according to the model. Do not round any intermediate computations, and round your answer to the nearest tenth.

Answer

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Answer

Final Answer: The population predicted after five hours, according to the model, is approximately \(\boxed{222.3}\).

Steps

Step 1 :The problem is asking for the population of bacteria after 5 hours given an initial population and a growth rate. This is a classic exponential growth problem. The formula for exponential growth is: \(P(t) = P0 * e^{rt}\) where: \(P(t)\) is the future value of the population, \(P0\) is the initial value of the population, \(r\) is the rate of growth, and \(t\) is the time.

Step 2 :In this case, \(P0 = 95\), \(r = 0.17\) (17% expressed as a decimal), and \(t = 5\). We can substitute these values into the formula and solve for \(P(t)\).

Step 3 :Substituting the given values into the formula, we get \(P(t) = 95 * e^{(0.17 * 5)}\).

Step 4 :Calculating the above expression, we get \(P(t) = 222.26645093296918\).

Step 5 :Rounding to the nearest tenth, we get \(P(t) = 222.3\).

Step 6 :Final Answer: The population predicted after five hours, according to the model, is approximately \(\boxed{222.3}\).

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