Explain what bacterial growth is.

Bacterial growth refers to the increase in the number of bacterial cells in a population. It involves the process of cell division, typically by binary fission, in which a single bacterial cell splits into two identical daughter cells. Bacterial growth is influenced by factors such as nutrient availability, temperature, pH, and oxygen levels. As bacteria grow, they often undergo exponential growth, where the population doubles at a constant rate, leading to rapid increases in the number of cells under ideal conditions.