There are several predictable population growth phases, typically seen in lab-grown microorganisms in controlled environments.
The lag phase represents the beginning of their growth. Once they get adjusted to their new environment and start thriving, they are ready to divide. This takes place actively during the log phase when their growth is exponential (because 2 cells become 4, and 4 become 8, and 8 become 16). Once their expansion into the media has reached its maximum potential, and they begin to run out of space and nutrients, they reach the stationary phase where division halts.
If the medium is left the same, with excretory products ever increasing and nutrients running out, they begin to die. This is the…