A cell divides to form two new cells every 24 hours.How many days will it take for the original cell to divide into 8 cells?

1. Break Down the Problem

To solve how many days it will take for one cell to divide into 8 cells, we need to identify how the cell divides over time. Each division results in the formation of two cells. This is a scenario involving exponential growth.

2. Relevant Concepts

The growth of cells can be represented as:

• After 1 division (24 hours), 1 cell → 2 cells
• After 2 divisions (48 hours), 2 cells → 4 cells
• After 3 divisions (72 hours), 4 cells → 8 cells

This shows that after every 24 hours, the number of cells doubles.

3. Analysis and Detail

We want to find the number of divisions required to reach 8 cells starting with 1 cell:

• $1 \to 2$ (after 1 day)
• $2 \to 4$ (after 2 days)
• $4 \to 8$ (after 3 days)

From this we can conclude that:

• The original cell doubles after each day, so to reach 8, we need 3 days.

4. Verify and Summarize

The total time taken for a single cell to become 8 cells is 3 days, as verified by counting the number of divisions and the corresponding time intervals.

Final Answer

It will take 3 days for the original cell to divide into 8 cells.