Name: __________________________________ Class: __________________ Date: ______________

EXPONENTIAL FUNCTIONS ASSESSMENT:

Introduction

Michael Crichtons novel The Andromeda Strain (1969), chronicling the explosion of a deadly
extraterrestrial bacterium, warns of the frightening possibility of a microbial catastrophe. E. coli is one such
bacterium which, in ideal conditions, could produce a destructive supercolony. Using binary fission simple
cell division, a population of E. coli can double every twenty minutes; although generally harmless and found
within the human body, if ingested, E. coli can cause diarrhea, dehydration, and even death.

This assessment will explore the power of bacteria and other real-life applications.

Part A

1. Assume that a population of E. coli bacteria doubles every 20 minutes as presented in the introduction.
Construct a table that shows the growth of a single E. coli bacterium over an hour.

2. Write an equation for the number of E. coli bacteria, N, as a function of time, t.

3. E. coli is prevalent due to its rapid growth rate and its ability to mutate; however, many of the mutations
render the bacteria ineffective at the current temperature. It is estimated that after a population has
divided 30 times, 1.5% of the cells will be ineffective. Find the number of bacteria present after 24
hours.

Part B

A particular colony of bacteria has an initial population of 200 cells and current environmental
conditions limit growth to 30%/h. Antibiotic X is taken every 3 h and has an effectiveness factor of 75% -
assume after the dose is taken, 75% of the existing bacteria are immediately killed.

1. Let the first dose occur at h = 0. Create a table to determine the number of bacteria present after 12 h
using increments of 3.

2. Using the pattern, write an equation where N is the number of bacteria present before dose and t is the
time.

Adapted from: Pure Mathematics 30 copyrighted by the Crown in Right of Alberta, Learner Assessment
 3. If the population of E. coli falls below 50, a patient is considered cured. How many cycles will it take
for a patient with a population of 2000 to be cured by Antibiotic X?

4. If Antibiotic Z has an effectiveness factor of 90% and is administered every 24 h, explain why the
patient will not be cured.

Part C
After doing some research on your own, you identify Company X, the manufacturer of Antibiotic X, as a
possible investment. Looking in the weeks Wall Street Journal you find the following numbers predict your
investments.
1. You are looking for a quick investment 4 years. The stock offers a 14% return compounded twice
annually. How much is your investment of $14,000 worth?

2. Company Z offers an 18% return also compounded twice annually; however, there is maximum time
length of 3 years. Which opportunity nets the most money?

3. Explain why an investor would want a percentage compounded as much as possible.

Adapted from: Pure Mathematics 30 copyrighted by the Crown in Right of Alberta, Learner Assessment