Bacteria and population growth
Bacteria are unicellular prokaryotes, and they are found almost everywhere on the surface of the earth. They are divided into different groups according to their characteristics. Bacteria divide asexually by binary fission producing identical cells, with the right temperature, suitable environment, and plenty of food bacteria can divide into two cells in about every 20 minutes to an hour.
Objectives
Students will be able to graph the data for bacterial growth, and predict the type of growth.
Materials needed
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Pencils, graph paper, data for bacterial growth
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The following data show the number of bacteria in a petri dish
Use what you have learned about bacterial growth and reproduction to answer the following questions.
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1-
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Name two ways by which bacteria reproduce.
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2-
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Find the ratio of bacterial growth between two consecutive hours such as 4 and 5.
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3-
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Predict the number of bacteria during hour 10.
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4-
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Use graph paper to plot time vs. number of bacteria. This growth plot produces a curve, what is the name of this curve?
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