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

Question

, what value would represent a1
?(1 point)
The value of a1
is
.

Answer 1

In the general exponential equation \( a_n = a_1 \cdot r^{n-1} \), \( a_1 \) represents the initial value of the population at \( n = 1 \).

Given in the problem, the initial population of the bacteria is 50. Thus, \( a_1 \) is simply the initial population.

Therefore, the value of \( a_1 \) is 50.