Subject: can a bacterium reproduce to the weight of the earth in 24hrs?

 The bacterium ~ weight=10 to the negative twelth power g
                 ~ takes 20 minutes to reproduce
The earth ~ weight = 5.9763 x 10 to the 24th power kg

I have tried to calculate the the answer and i came up with 7.2 to the -12 
power.  But it doesn't sound right to me.  What i did was i found the 
number of times it would reproduse in 1 day and i got 72 times.  Then i 
multiplied 72 times one bacterium which is 10 to the -12.  I came up with 
the answer above.  

What formula do I use to calculate this?  My calculator will not go up to
that high of a number.

Response:

Re: can a bacterium reproduce to the weight of the earth in 24hrs?
 The bacterium ~ weight=10 to the negative twelth power g
                 ~ takes 20 minutes to reproduce
The earth ~ weight = 5.9763 x 10 to the 24th power kg

I have tried to calculate the the answer and i came up with 7.2 to the -12 
power.  But it doesn't sound right to me.  What i did was i found the 
number of times it would reproduse in 1 day and i got 72 times.  Then i 
multiplied 72 times one bacterium which is 10 to the -12.  I came up with 
the answer above.  


_______________________________________________________________
Ah, but you are not accounting for the fact that each of the 
daughter bacteria will also divide 20 times per day, and each of the 
daughters of *those* divisions will divide 20 times per day, and...

You need to use something similiar to the formula for calculating
compound interest.

	Dan Berger, Admin MadSci Network
________________________________________________________________
MadSci Network
http://www.madsci.org/
webadmin@www.madsci.org

Re: can a bacterium reproduce to the weight of the earth in 24hrs?