What is Doubling Time and How is it Calculated? - Population Education (2024)

By Lauren Boucher | March 24, 2015

This is the second post in a three-part series about exponential growth and doubling time. This post will explore the concept of doubling time and explain how one can calculate the doubling time for a population growing exponentially using the rule of 70.

What is Doubling Time?

Doubling time is the amount of time it takes for a given quantity to double in size or value at a constant growth rate. We can find the doubling time for a population undergoing exponential growth by using the Rule of 70. To do this, we divide 70 by the growth rate (r).

Note: growth rate (r) must be entered as a percentage and not a decimal fraction. For example 5% must be entered as 5 instead of 0.05.

dt = 70/r

For example, a population with a 2% annual growth would have a doubling time of 35 years.

See Also
Rule of 72

35 = 70/2

Key Properties of Doubling Time

  1. The larger the rate of growth (r), the faster the doubling time.
  2. Rate of growth varies considerably among organisms. For example, most small bodied organisms grow faster and have larger rates of population increase than larger organisms. Think about the difference in growth rate between bacteria and elephants.
  3. Most populations cannot double forever. Resistance factors like natural resource constraints and disease contribute to a leveling off in population size over time. When this happens, we say the population has reached its carrying capacity. This type of growth is also referred to as logistic growth.

Resources for Teaching Students about Doubling Time

  1. Double Trouble: A secondary activity (grades 9-12) exploring the concepts of exponential growth and doubling time. Students observe and collect data on the exponential growth of yeast cultures in both a lab experiment and under a microscope, graphing their findings and comparing their results with human population growth.

Exponential Growth Series

About Population Education

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What is Doubling Time and How is it Calculated? - Population Education (2024)

FAQs

What is Doubling Time and How is it Calculated? - Population Education? ›

Doubling time is the amount of time it takes for a given quantity to double in size or value at a constant growth rate. We can find the doubling time for a population undergoing exponential growth by using the Rule of 70. To do this, we divide 70 by the growth rate (r).

What is population doubling time and how can it be calculated? ›

To figure out how long it would take a population to double at a single rate of growth, we can use a simple formula known as the Rule of 70. Basically, you can find the doubling time (in years) by dividing 70 by the annual growth rate.

How do you calculate doubles? ›

We can double any number in two ways. 1) Multiply the number by 2. 2) Add the number to itself. Example: Michelle has 4 balls, and Jane has double the number of balls that Michelle has.

What does doubling time mean in AP Human Geography? ›

the amount of time it takes for the population of a region to double. Explanation: The “doubling time” refers to the amount of time it takes for the population of a region to double. The number is based on the annual increase in population as a percentage of the original population.

What is the doubling time for the world population? ›

Years taken for the world population to double in size 837-2023. In 2023, the global population will reach approximately eight billion people. This is double what the population was just 48 years previously, in 1975, when it reached four billion people.

What is the doubling time of a population quizlet? ›

C)The 'Rule of 70'is used to calculate the doubling time of a population. It is a ratio based on using the number '70'in the numerator and the current population growth rate in the denominator.

How to calculate population growth? ›

Like any other growth rate calculation, a population's growth rate can be computed by taking the current population size and subtracting the previous population size. Divide that amount by the previous size. Multiply that by 100 to get the percentage.

How do you solve double time? ›

Double-time pay (or DT for short) is a rate of compensation that is twice the regular rate that an employee receives for normal hours worked. If, for example, you pay Phineas $15 per hour, his double-time rate would be $30 per hour ($15 x 2) for any hours over a certain amount.

What is an example of doubling? ›

To double means to add an amount equal to what you already have. An example: If you have one bottle of co*ke, and you get one more bottle, you have two bottles of co*ke. Two is the double of one, because 1 + 1 = 2 , which means you have doubled the amount of co*ke you had.

How do you find the time to double? ›

The formula for doubling time is: Doubling time = ln(2) / (growth rate), where “ln” represents the natural logarithm and the growth rate is expressed as a decimal or percentage.

Why do we calculate doubling time? ›

Examining the doubling time can give a more intuitive sense of the long-term impact of growth than simply viewing the percentage growth rate.

How do you calculate population doubling time cell culture? ›

The doubling time for a certain type of cell is 4h. The number of cells after t hours is described by N(t)=N0∗2t/4 N ( t ) = N 0 ∗ 2 t / 4 where N0 is the initial population.

What is doubling time quizlet? ›

doubling time. the length of time it takes for a population to double.

What is an example of doubling time AP human Geography? ›

For example, a population with a 2% annual growth would have a doubling time of 35 years.

How do you calculate doubling time with negative growth rate? ›

Hence, the doubling time is simply 70 divided by the constant annual growth rate. For instance, consider a quantity that grows consistently at 5% annually. According to the Rule of 70, it will take 14 years (70/5) for the quantity to double. The Rule of 70 extends to contexts involving negative growth rates.

What is the doubling time of the global human population quizlet? ›

the current rate of growth, Earth's human population will double in about 50 years.

How do you calculate the doubling time of bacteria? ›

Bacteria doubling time is usually calculated by first measuring OD600nm absorbance and then plot the log2(OD600nm) readings against the time. The doubling time represents the time bateria takes to double their amount in cell number when they are within exponential growth phase.

How do you calculate population growth in ecology? ›

The population growth rate (sometimes called the rate of increase or per capita growth rate, r) equals the birth rate (b) minus the death rate (d) divided by the initial population size (N0). Another method of calculating the population growth rate involves final and initial population size (figure 14.2.

What is the formula for doubling time in ESS? ›

Doubling times:

This is the time it takes for a population to double in size. Doubling time=70/percentage growth rate.

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