A bacterial culture in a petri dish grows at an exponential rate. The petri dish has an area of 256 \( \mathrm{~mm}^{2} \), and the bacterial

As the bacterial culture thrives in the 256 mm² petri dish, it's important to remember that each bacterium can divide into two under ideal conditions approximately every 20 minutes, assuming they’re given enough nutrients and space. This exponential growth means that before you know it, the dish can become crowded, leading to competition for resources, which can slow down growth or even stop it. In practical applications, understanding this growth behavior is essential in fields like microbiology, food safety, and pharmaceuticals. For example, in designing effective sterilization processes, determining the growth rate helps in figuring out the ideal time-frames to ensure that harmful bacteria are eliminated in food products or lab experiments without risking contamination.