At 12:35 pm, 20 Salmonella enteritidis cells were present in the remains of a Caesar salad at a picnic. 5 hours later, the picnic organizer ate the rest of the salad at home. S. enteritidis divides every 20 minutes; how many cells (N_t) were consumed if N_t = N(2ⁿ)?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

S. enteritidis divides every 20 minutes, so in 5 hours (300 minutes), it would divide 300/20 = 15 times. Starting with 20 cells, after 15 divisions, the number of cells would be 20 * 2^15 = 655,360 cells.

At 12:35 Pm, 20 Salmonella Enteritidis Cells Were Present in the Remains