A bacteria population is 10,000 . It triples each day. The bacteria population, \( b \), is a function of the number of days, \( d \), since it was measured to be 10,000 . 1. Which variable is the independent variable in this situation? 2. Write an equation relating \( b \) and \( d \).

1. **Independent Variable:** The independent variable is the number of days, \( d \). This is because \( d \) is the variable you control or change to observe its effect on the bacteria population. 2. **Equation Relating \( b \) and \( d \):** \[ b = 10,\!000 \times 3^{d} \] **Explanation:** - The initial bacteria population is 10,000. - The population triples each day, which is represented by the base 3 in the exponential equation. - \( d \) represents the number of days, serving as the exponent to show how many times the population has tripled. So, for each day that passes, the population multiplies by 3. For example: - After 1 day: \( b = 10,\!000 \times 3^{1} = 30,\!000 \) - After 2 days: \( b = 10,\!000 \times 3^{2} = 90,\!000 \) - After 3 days: \( b = 10,\!000 \times 3^{3} = 270,\!000 \) And so on.