A biological culture is treated with a disinfectant. The population of bacteria, PPP, in thousands, decreases at a rate modeled in terms of its current population by the equation:
Rate of decrease=0.4P2 \text{Rate of decrease} = 0.4P^2 Rate of decrease=0.4P2Initially, the population of the culture is 5000 bacteria, so P=5P = 5P=5 at t=0t = 0t=0, where ttt is the time in hours after the disinfectant is applied.
By first forming a suitable differential equation involving dPdt\frac{dP}{dt}dtdP, show that
P=52t+1 P = \frac{5}{2t + 1} P=2t+15Determine the rate of change of the population when t=2t = 2t=2.
Practise Edexcel A Level Maths 11.10 Solving Differential Equations with exam-style questions for A Level Maths. 35 questions, matched to the Edexcel A Level Maths (9MA0) specification and written in Paper 1, Paper 2 and Paper 3 style. Every question includes a full worked solution and mark scheme, so you can see where marks are awarded rather than just whether you got the answer right.
