Certain hazardous waste products have the property that as the concentration of substrate (the substance undergoing change by enzymatic action) increases, there is a toxic inhibition effect. A mathematical model for this behavior is the Haldane equation*

where R is the specific growth rate of the substance (the rate at which cells divide); S is the substrate concentration; and a, b, and c are positive constants.

Sketch the graph of R(S). Does the graph appear to have a highest point? A lowest point? A point of inflection? What happens to the growth rate as S grows larger and larger? Interpret your observations.

Transcribed Image Text:

R(S) || CS a + S + bs²