A bee population is measured each week and the results are plotted on the graph. What is the bee population when it is first measured?

A bee population is measured each week and the results are plotted on the graph.

What is the bee population when it is first measured? Is the bee population growing by the same factor each week? Explain how you know.
What is an equation that models b, the bee population, w weeks after it is first measured? Show and explain your reasoning. Use the equation to find b(7)?
What does the answer mean for this context?

Solution 1: The bee population was 500 when it was first measured.

Solution 2: The bee population was initially at 500, then it was 1000, 2000, 4000. This means that the bee population is getting doubled each week.

Solution 3: The equation to represent this will be b = 500 . `(2)^"w"` .

Plug in w = 7, in the above equation to find the value of b(7). b(7) = 500 `2^7`

b(7) = 500. `2^7` = ? It means that the bee population at 7 weeks is ?.