#### 11,576.251. A scientist is conducting an experiment with bacteria. The initial number of bacteria is 1,000. The population doubles every hour. After 6 hours, a chemical is introduced that kills half of the bacteria. How many bacteria remain?

Sun, 03 May 2026 03:38:53 +0000

**How #### 11,576.251. A scientist is conducting an experiment with bacteria. The initial number of bacteria is 1,000. The population doubles every hour. After 6 hours, a chemical is introduced that kills half of the bacteria. How many bacteria remain?** In the fast-paced world of microbiology and lab research, real-time experiments help scientists track microbial growth with precision—insights that shape medicine, biotech, and environmental science. One striking pattern involves bacterial doubling: a single bacterium, doubling hourly, multiplies rapidly before external factors intervene. Recently, this dynamic has sparked interest because of breakthroughs in how environmental triggers affect population control. The scenario here illustrates a classic experiment: starting with 1,000 bacteria doubling each hour for 6 hours, then applying a precise chemical intervention that halves the resulting population. Even without exotic equipment, understanding this sequence reveals fundamental math and biology principles shaping modern science. Let’s unfold exactly how many bacteria remain after each phase.
If the population starts at 1,000 and doubles hourly, after 6 hours the count multiplies by 2 raised to the 6th power.
That gives 1,000 × 2⁶ = 1,000 × 64 = 64,000 bacteria.
Then, the chemical intervention reduces the colony by half—subtracting 32,000 bacteria.
The final population is 64,000 – 32,000 = 32,000. A chemical intervention that kills half remains a controlled, widely studied method in lab research to reset and observe microbial recovery. This specific figure—32,000 survivors—reflects precise, repeatable science, offering a tangible example used in biology education and industry protocols.