A bacteria colony of 100 cells doubles every 3 hours. How many cells are there after 12 hours?

Answer and explanation

Correct answer: D. 1600

  1. Step 1: 12 hours contain 12/3 = 4 doublings.
  2. Step 2: 100 x 2^4 = 1600.
Answer
1600.
Why not the others: Doubling means multiplying by 2 each period, not adding a fixed amount; counting one doubling per hour gives far too many.

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