Lauren is studying the growth patterns of a particular type of tree native to California. She has noticed that, for each week that passes during the spring, the number of leaves on the tree approximately triples. If, at the beginning of her study, the tree had
12 leaves on it, approximately how many leaves should be on the tree after 5 weeks?
OA. 8,748
OB. 243
OC. 2,916
D. 972