Suppose that the number of bacteria in a certain population increases according to a continuous exponential growth model. A sample of 1800 bacteria selected from this population reached the size of 1927 bacteria in three hours. Find the hourly growth rate parameter.
Note: This is a continuous exponential growth model.
Write your answer as a percentage. Do not round any intermediate computations, and round your percentage to the nearest hundredth.

Step 1 ：We are given a continuous exponential growth model, which is represented by the formula: \(P(t) = P0 * e^{rt}\), where \(P(t)\) is the future value of the population, \(P0\) is the initial population, \(r\) is the rate of growth, and \(t\) is the time.

Step 2 ：In this problem, we know that \(P0 = 1800\), \(P(t) = 1927\), and \(t = 3\) hours. We need to find the value of \(r\).

Step 3 ：We can rearrange the formula to solve for \(r\): \(r = \frac{ln(P(t)/P0)}{t}\).

Step 4 ：Substituting the known values into the equation, we get: \(r = \frac{ln(1927/1800)}{3}\).

Step 5 ：Solving for \(r\), we get \(r = 0.02272590817670342\).

Step 6 ：To convert \(r\) to a percentage, we multiply by 100: \(percentage_r = 2.2725908176703418\).

Step 7 ：Final Answer: The hourly growth rate parameter is approximately \(\boxed{2.27\%}\).