When was the jar half full?
One bacterium in a jar at 11:00. It splits in two every minute. At 12:00 the jar is full.
The jar is completely full at 12:00. At what time was it only HALF full?
Where these numbers come from
Real bacteria really do double: Escherichia coli divides about every 20 minutes in ideal conditions. This jar imagines one minute instead, to fit the hour.
Medical Microbiology, 4th edition — Bacterial growth — NCBI Bookshelf, University of Texas Medical Branch(checked 2026-09-16)