Growth and Decays III

Problem 211: Maria, a biologist, is observing the growth pattern of a virus. She starts with 100 of the virus that grows at a rate of 10% per hour. She will check on the virus in 24 hours. How many viruses will she find?

Solution: One can find the amount of viruses can be found using the Growth and Decay formula

(1) $\begin{equation*} A_0 e^{rt}.\end{equation*}$

That is, $A_0 = 100$ , $r = 0.10$ , and $t = 24$ hours. Thus

(2) $\begin{align*} A_0 e^{rt} & = 100 e^{0.10 \cdot 24} \\ & = 100e^{2.4} \\ & = 1,102.\end{align*}$

This means that Maria will find 1,102 viruses when she check in 24 hours.

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