Bacterial cell divides in every minute it takes one hour to fill up a cup. How much time be taken to fill half the cup

Options

A. 59 minutes
B. 30 minutes
C. 60 minutes
D. 29 minutes

Explanation

To solve the problem of how much time it takes to fill half a cup with bacteria that divide every minute, we can follow these steps:

### Step-by-Step Solution:

1. **Understand the Growth Pattern**: Bacteria reproduce through a process called binary fission, where one bacterium divides into two. This means that the number of bacteria doubles every minute.

2. **Identify the Total Time to Fill the Cup**: According to the problem, it takes 1 hour (or 60 minutes) to fill the entire cup.

3. **Determine the Filling Process**: Since the bacteria double in number every minute, if the cup is completely filled at 60 minutes, it must have been half-filled just one minute before that. This is because the amount of bacteria would double in the next minute to fill the entire cup.

4. **Calculate the Time to Fill Half the Cup**: Therefore, if the cup is full at 60 minutes, it must have been half full at 59 minutes.

5. **Conclusion**: The time taken to fill half the cup is 59 minutes.

### Final Answer:
It takes **59 minutes** to fill half the cup.

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