A virus spreads such that the number of infected people triples every week. Starting with 100 people, how many will be infected after 6 weeks?

Sun, 03 May 2026 15:40:41 +0000

**How A Virus Spreads Such That the Number of Infected People Triples Every Week—Starting With 100 People, How Many After 6 Weeks?** In recent months, discussions about rapid virus spread—where cases multiply by three weekly—have surged in U.S. conversations, fueled by growing awareness of emerging health trends and digital misinformation alike. This pattern isn’t fictional: it describes a rapid exponential growth seen in early outbreaks, offering a clear, math-backed lens on contagion. Starting with just 100 infected individuals, if the infection triples each week, the numbers unfold swiftly—and long before widely reported spikes. ### Why A Virus Spreads Such That the Number of Infected People Triples Every Week. Starting with 100 People, How Many Will Be Infected After 6 Weeks? This growth reflects a basic model of exponential spread: each infected person transmits to multiple others rapidly, creating a compounding effect. Mathematically, multiplying by 3 each week creates a sharp trajectory that begins small but accelerates dramatically. For anyone tracking public health dynamics or modeling contagion, this pattern reveals how quickly thresholds—such as healthcare strain or social change—can be approached without intervention.