Calculating Microorganism Population

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Microorganisms reproduce by making a copy of themselves. The copies, and the original microorganisms, can then go on to reproduce and make more copies.

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So, if you start with one microorganism that reproduces in 30 minutes, after that time you'll have two microorganisms. After 60 minutes, you'll have four microorganisms and after 90 minutes, you'll have eight microorganisms.

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After each reproduction pillow, there'll be twice as many microorganisms as there were at the end of the previous reproduction period.

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To work out the size of a microorganism population after a certain amount of time, you need to know:

  • The number of microorganisms before reproduction starts
  • How long it takes for one microorganism to reproduce
  • How long the microorganisms are left to produce for
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