Multiple choice

If a bacterial cell divides every minute, it takes 59 minutes to fill one half of the cup. How much time would it take to fill the full cup?

  1. 30 minutes

  2. 59 minutes

  3. 60 minutes

  4. 1 minute
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
C Correct answer
Explanation

In 60 minutes the full cup will be filled. It is a known fact that when a bacteria divides by binary fission, it doubles itself in number. So, after the cup is half full, 1 more binary fission is required to fill the whole cup, as each bacteria in the half-filled cup is going to undergo binary fission and double itself.

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