Snip background to bacteria colony reaching its limits rapidly...
> 11:58 am 1/4 full
> 11:59 am 1/2 full
> 12:00 noon full
>
> Suppose that at 11:58 a.m. some far sighted bacteria realize that they are
> running out of space and consequently, with a great expenditure effort and
> funds, they launch a search for new bottles. (Snip time dated material)
> and at 11:59 a.m. they discover three new empty bottles. Great sighs of
> relief come from all the worried bacteria, because this magnificent
> discovery is three times the number of bottles that had hitherto been
> known. This discovery quadruples the total space resource known to the
> bacteria. Surely this will solve the problem so that the bacteria can be
> self-sufficient in space.
>
> 3. How long can the bacterial growth continue if the total space resources
> are quadrupled? Answer: Two more doubling times (minutes). See below.
>
> 11:58 am Bottle 1 is 1/4 full
> 11:59 am Bottle 1 is 1/2 full
> 12:00 noon Bottle 1 is full
> 12:01 pm Bottle 1 and 2 are both full
> 12:02 pm Bottles 1,2,3,4 are all full
i suspect that those who found the new bottles wouldn't be too concerned
with hanging around to save all their buddies, it would be far more
efficient for just maybe 4 or 8 of them to take off and colonise each.
there's not enough room in spaceships these days, you know, let alone
enough resources to make enough of them to shift 3/4 of a jar full of
bacteria. each new bottle would eventually reach its carrying capacity
some time many generations off in the future, in which time of course a
few with access to the resources would probably once more make it off,
but not with enough time, or ability, to save everyone...
somewhere along the way they're bound to discover cold fission too, and
that'll make everyone happy and fulfilled, like on the telly.
ok,
bernard.
--------
people who govern are strangers to me
and i'm a stranger to them too
presumably they don't know you
that's why they do the job they do...
(tall dwarves)
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