This document discusses the bacterial growth curve, which consists of four phases: lag phase, log or exponential phase, stationary phase, and death phase. It provides details on each phase, including that the lag phase lasts 1-4 hours as bacteria adapt to their environment, the log phase is characterized by rapid, exponential cell division, and the stationary phase occurs when resources are depleted and growth levels off. Mathematical calculations for determining generation time from growth data are also presented, worked through using an example.