Question

scientists studying cell growth notice that the original population of 2 million cells doubles every minute. which graph models this?

Explanation:

Step1: Identify the growth - type

The cell population starts at 2 million and doubles every minute. This is an exponential growth. The general form of an exponential growth function is $y = a\cdot b^{x}$, where $a$ is the initial amount and $b> 1$. Here, $a = 2$ (initial 2 million cells) and $b = 2$ (doubling every minute).

Step2: Analyze the graph characteristics

An exponential growth graph $y=a\cdot b^{x}$ with $a>0$ and $b > 1$ starts above the $x$-axis (since $a = 2>0$) and increases rapidly as $x$ (time in minutes) increases. The given graph has these characteristics: it starts at a non - zero value on the $y$-axis (around $y = 2$) and has a steep upward curve as $x$ increases.

Answer:

The provided graph models the cell - growth situation.