The general equation for exponential growth can be written as: [tex] x_{t} = x_{0} (1+r)^{t}[/tex] where r is the growth rate. Plugging in the given values, we get: [tex]1100=1000(1+r)^{3}[/tex] Therefore [tex](1+r)^{3}=1.1[/tex] giving [tex]1+r= \sqrt[3]{1.1} =1.0323[/tex] The predicted number of bacteria after 17 hours is given by: [tex]1000(1.0323)^{17}=1716[/tex]