To begin a bacteria study, a Petri dish had 2900 bacteria cells. Each hour since, the number of cells has increased by 16%. Let t be the number of bacteria cells. Write an exponential function showing the relationship between y and t.

Answer 1

The exponential function showing the relationship between the number of bacteria cells (y) and the time elapsed (t) can be represented as:

y = 2900 * (1.16)^t

where:
y = the number of bacteria cells
t = the time elapsed in hours

In this function, the initial number of bacteria cells is 2900, and the growth rate per hour is 16% (1.16).