Growth of yeast cells In a controlled laboratory experiment,
yeast cells are grown in an automated cell culture system that
counts the number P of cells present at hourly intervals. The num-
ber after t hours is shown in the accompanying figure.
P
250
200
150
100
50
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0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
a. Explain what is meant by the derivative P'(5). What are its
units?
b. Which is larger, P'(2) or P'(3)? Give a reason for your
answer.
c. The quadratic curve capturing the trend of the data points
(see Section 1.4) is given by P(t) = 6.10t29.28t + 16.43.
Find the instantaneous rate of growth when t = 5 hours.