A science lab has 120 bacteria cultures. Each hour, the number of cultures triples. After 3 hours, how many bacteria cultures are there?

Thu, 07 May 2026 09:07:25 +0000

**How A Science Lab’s 120 Bacteria Cultures Triplicate Each Hour—After 3 Hours, What’s the Count?**
In labs focused on growth and innovation, tracking microbial cultures offers crucial insights—especially when growth accelerates dramatically. Consider this scenario: a scientific lab begins with 120 bacteria cultures, and every hour, the population triples. For curious explorers and those tracking bioscience trends, understanding how exponential growth unfolds matters more than ever. With just three hours of relentless multiplication, this initial sample evolves into a staggering number—so much so, this problem reflects real-life labs modeling rapid cell cultures for research, medicine, and environmental studies. Why is this math anomaly capturing attention in the US scientific and digital communities? Exponential growth patterns appear in microbiology, data modeling, and even financial forecasting. As automation and biotech advancements accelerate, public interest shifts toward grasping how small starting points can yield massive outcomes quickly. This isn’t just a numbers puzzle—it’s a real-world representation of how biological systems and scientific progress accelerate beyond intuition. Whether you’re a student, educator, or professional, uncovering how cultures grow tripling hourly sharpens your fluency with biological scaling. How exactly does a tripling every hour turn 120 into a significant figure after three cycles? Here’s the clear, step-by-step breakdown. Each hour, every existing culture splits into three. Starting with 120:
- After the first hour: 120 × 3 = 360 cultures
- After the second hour: 360 × 3 = 1,080 cultures
- After the third hour: 1,080 × 3 = 3,240 cultures This progression follows a simple exponential formula: final count = initial count × 3^hours. With 120 × 3³ (3 to the power of 3), the result lands at 3,240 bacteria cultures. This timing