When bacteria are inoculated into a new sterile nutrient broth, their numbers don't begin to increase immediately. Instead, there is a lag phase that may last for an hour or even several days. Why don't bacterial numbers increase immediately?

Answer: First, the bacteria will adjust and then it will divide.

Explanation:

Once the bacterial species is put into the cultural medium, there the bacteria present in the medium needs to acclimatize in the medium and then start growing.

There is a lag phase before the log phase because first the bacteria will adjust into the medium and then start dividing.

As we know that the growing medium contains amino acids, growth factors, enzymes and many more things which first needs to be utilized by the bacteria and then it will start dividing.