The difference between the populations after 3 minutes is 5.
According to the question, the population of bacteria is modeled by the function; [tex]M(x)=51(1.03)^x[/tex]. We have to recall that x refers to the time taken to have an M number of bacteria.
Initially, x = 0 so;
[tex]M(x)=51(1.03)^0[/tex] = 51
After 3 minutes, we have;
[tex]M(x)=51(1.03)^3[/tex] = 56
Difference between the populations after 3 minutes = 56 - 51 = 5
Hence, the difference between the populations after 3 minutes is 5.
Learn more about population of bacteria: https://brainly.com/question/4332205