CAT 1998 — QA Question 5
âââââââDirection: Answer the questions based on the following information.
Production pattern for number of units (in cubic feet) per day.

For a truck that can carry 2,000 cubic ft, hiring cost per day is Rs. 1,000. Storing cost per cubic feet is Rs. 5 per day.
One bacterium splits into eight bacteria of the next generation. But due to environmental condition only 50% survives and remaining 50% dies after producing next generation. If the seventh generation number is 4,096 million, what is the number in first generation?
Answer & solution
1 million
- B
2 million
- C
4 million
- D
8 million
Let there be x bacteria in the first generation i.e. n1 = x
∴ nâ = 8x, but only 50% survives
⇒ n2, survived =
n3 = 8(4x), but only 50% survives
n3, survived = 42 x
n3, survived = 47-1 x = 4096 million
∴ x = 1 million