Final answer:
The yeast cell population grows exponentially at a rate of 0.4479 per hour from an initial population of 3.1 million cells. Using the formula for exponential growth, we calculate that the population size after 6 hours is approximately 9.0 million cells.
Step-by-step explanation:
The population of yeast cells in this scenario is growing exponentially with a constant relative growth rate per hour. This is similar to how bacteria populations grow, particularly under ideal conditions where food supply is unlimited. The formula used to calculate future population size given a constant growth rate is P = P0 * e^(rt), where:
- P is the future population size.
- P0 is the initial population size.
- r is the relative growth rate.
- t is the time (in hours, in this case).
Given the problem's data, the initial population size P0 is 3.1 million cells, the growth rate r is 0.4479 per hour, and the time t is 6 hours. Plugging those numbers into the formula, we calculate that after 6 hours, the yeast cell population would be approximately 9.0 million cells, rounded to one decimal place.
Learn more about Exponential Growth