Bacteria quadruples on a daily basis. The population starts with 50 bacteria. Using the general exponential equation an=a1⋅rn−1, what value would represent a1?

Answer 1

In the general exponential equation an = a1 · rn-1, a1 represents the initial value or the value at n = 1. In this case, the population starts with 50 bacteria, so a1 = 50.