Bacteria quadruples on a daily basis. The population starts with 59 bacteria. Using the general exponential equation an = a1 • rn-1, what is the value of a1

Answer 1

In the context of the provided equation \( a_n = a_1 \cdot r^{n-1} \), we can identify the components as follows:

• \( a_n \) is the population of bacteria at day \( n \).
• \( a_1 \) is the initial population of bacteria.
• \( r \) is the growth factor.
• \( n \) is the number of days.

Given that the bacteria quadruples daily, the growth factor \( r \) is 4.

Since the initial population starts with 59 bacteria, we have:

• \( a_1 = 59 \)

Thus, the value of \( a_1 \) is 59.