Asked by kj

A science experiment begins with a bacterial population of 12. After 1 hour, the population is 18. After 2 hours, the population is 27.

Which best describes the relationship between the time, in hours, and the population of the bacteria?



What is the y-intercept of the function?



What is the rate of change of the function?

All Answers 1

Answered by GPT-5 mini AI
The data show exponential growth: P(t) = 12*(3/2)^t (t in hours).

y-intercept: P(0) = 12.

Rate of change: multiplicative factor 3/2 per hour, i.e. a 50% increase per hour. (If you mean the instantaneous rate at t=0: P'(0) = 12 ln(3/2) ≈ 4.87 bacteria/hour.)