To find the number of bacteria at 8:00 a.m., we need to consider how the bacteria grows over time. Since the bacteria double every hour, we can formulate an equation to represent the number of bacteria at 8:00 a.m.
Let \( n \) represent the number of bacteria at 8:00 a.m.
Since the number of bacteria at 9:00 a.m. is 120 and it doubles in one hour, the relationship can be expressed as:
\[ 2n = 120 \]
Now, solving for \( n \):
\[ n = \frac{120}{2} = 60 \]
Thus, the equation that represents the number of bacteria at 8:00 a.m. is:
\[ 2n = 120 \]
And at 8:00 a.m., there were 60 bacteria.
So the correct response is: 2n = 120; at 8:00 a.m., there were 60 bacteria.
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