MATH - 237– Mathematics for Technologists – Spring 2024

Instructor: Farzan Sarvestani

13. Exponential and Logarithmic Functions

13.1: Exponential Functions

Introduction:

In this chapter, we study the logarithmic function and the exponential function. Although logarithms are
no longer used directly for calculations, they are of great importance in many scientific and technical
applications and in advanced mathematics. For example, they are used to measure the intensity of
sound, the intensity of earthquakes, the power gains and losses in electrical transmission lines, and to
distinguish between a base and an acid. Exponential functions are used in electronics, mechanical
systems, thermodynamics, and nuclear physics, in biology to study population growth (people), and in
business to calculate compound interest. They're used to model drug concentrations, population
growth (bacteria), exponential decay of radioactive isotopes (they use these for imaging) and model
diseases over time.

Example 1: In the early stages of tumor growth, cells divide regularly, creating two daughter cells each
time. A natural description of the early stages of cancer growth is thus the exponential model where
growth is proportional to the population. The proportionality constant 𝑎 is the growth rate of the tumor.

Example 2: The population of a colony of bacteria can double every 20 minutes, as long as there is
enough space and food. The more bacteria you already have, the more new bacteria you get.

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 Exponential Functions

An exponential function is a function whose value is a constant raised to the power of an argument. For
any numbers 𝑎 and 𝑏 such that 𝑎 ≠ 0, and 𝑏 > 0, 𝑏 ≠ 1, an exponential function is a function of the
form:

𝒚 = 𝒂𝒃𝒙

Here 𝑏 is called the base and 𝑥 is any real number. The base 𝑏 is restricted to be positive so that the
function is 𝑎 real number for all real values of 𝒙. Also, the coefficient 𝑎 cannot be zero, and 𝑏 cannot be
zero or one; those three values would result in a constant function rather than an exponential function.

Why can't the base of an exponential function be negative?

Answer: If the base is negative, then the exponential functions will be complex functions. Observe the
example below:

𝒚 = (−𝟒)𝒙
𝟏
𝟏
For 𝒙 = 𝟐 ⇒ 𝒚 = (−𝟒)𝟐 = √−𝟒 ↯

Note: √−4 is defined in the set of the complex numbers √−𝟒 = 𝟐𝒊.

Note: Exponential growth models have a faster growth rate than polynomial and geometric
models, however factorial growth models have a faster growth rate than exponential models.

Example 3: What will happen If you fold a piece of paper in half 42 times? What is the thickness
after 42 folds?

Solution:

A standard sheet of paper is about 0.1 𝑚𝑚.

Note: 10 𝑚𝑚 = 1𝑐𝑚.

Therefore:

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# Folds Thickness (mm)
0 0.10
1 0.20
2 0.40
3 0.80
4 1.60
5 3.20
6 6.40
7 12.80
8 25.60
9 51.20
10 102.40≈ 𝟏𝟎 𝒄𝒎 (Popsicle Stick is approximately 10 cm in length)
11 204.80
12 409.60
13 819.20
14 1,638.40
15 3,276.80
16 6,553.60
17 13,107.20
18 26,214.40
19 52,428.80
20 104,857.60 ≈ 𝟏𝟎𝟓 𝒎 (Two Harbour Green Tower in Vancouver, 105 m)

21 209,715.20
22 419,430.40
23 838,860.80≈ 𝟖𝟑𝟖 𝒎 (Burj Khalifa 828 m, tallest tower in the world)
24 1,677,721.6
25 3,355,443.2
26 6,710,886.4
27 13,421,773 ≈ 𝟏𝟑𝟒𝟐𝟐 𝒎 (Mount Everest 8,848.86 m, tallest mountain in
the world)
28 26,843,546
29 53,687,091
30 107,374,182
31 214,748,365
32 429,496,730
33 858,993,459
34 1,717,986,918
35 3,435,973,837

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 36 6,871,947,674
37 13,743,895,347
38 27,487,790,694 ≈ 𝟐𝟕, 𝟒𝟖𝟖 𝒌𝒎 (GPS Satellite 20,200 km)
39 54,975,581,389
40 109,951,162,778
41 219,902,325,555
42 439,804,651,110 ≈ 𝟒𝟑𝟗, 𝟖𝟎𝟓 𝒌𝒎

Approximately 𝟒𝟒𝟎 𝒃𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒎𝒊𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔, or 𝟒𝟑𝟗, 𝟖𝟎𝟓 𝒌𝒊𝒍𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒔. A lunar

distance, 384,399 𝑘𝑚 (238,854 𝑚𝑖), is the Moon's average distance to Earth.

The function for a standard sheet of paper to be folded is given by: 𝑦 = 0.1 × 2𝑥 , where,

𝑦 is the thickness of folded paper,

0.1 is the thickness of a single piece of paper,

𝑥 is the number of folds.

𝑦 = 0.1 × 2𝑥 = 0.1 × 242 = 𝟒𝟑𝟗, 𝟖𝟎𝟒, 𝟔𝟓𝟏, 𝟏𝟏𝟎 𝒎𝒎 ≈ 𝟒𝟑𝟗, 𝟖𝟎𝟓 𝒌𝒎

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Example 4: Exponential functions

Determine whether each of the following expressions defines an exponential function.

a) 𝑦 = 4𝑥
b) 𝑦 = (−4)𝑥
c) 𝑦 = −4𝑥
d) 𝑦 = 4−2𝑥

Solution:

a. This is an exponential function with 𝑏 = 4.

b. This is not an exponential function because𝑏 = −4 < 0 .
c. This is an exponential function with 𝑎 = −1 and 𝑏 = 4.
d. To identify the base, we rewrite as:

1
𝑦 = 4−2𝑥 = (4−2 )𝑥 = ( )𝑥
16
1
This is therefore an exponential function with 𝑏 = 16 .

Example 5: Evaluating an exponential function

Evaluate the function 𝑦 = −2(4𝑥 ) for the given values of 𝑥 .

a. If 𝑥 = 2 .
b. If 𝑥 = −2.
3
c. If 𝑥 = 2.
d. If 𝑥 = √2.

Solution:

a. 𝑦 = −2(42 ) = −2(16) = −32.

2 1
b. 𝑦 = −2(4−2 ) = = − .
16 8
3
c. 𝑦 = −2 (4 ) = −2(√64) = −2(8) = −16.
2

d. 𝑦 = −2 (4√2 ) = −14.206.

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Practice Exercises

Evaluate 𝑦 = 16𝑥 for:

1. 𝑥 = 3/2
2. 𝑥 = −0.5

Answers:

1. 64
2. ¼
Graphing Exponential Functions

In this part, we will show some representative graphs of the exponential function. Exponential functions
are important in many applications.

Basic Features of Exponential Functions of the Form 𝒚 = 𝒃𝒙

1. The domain is all values of x; the range is 𝑦 > 0 .
2. The 𝑥-axis is an asymptote of the graph.
3. As x increases, the function increases if 𝑏 > 1 (example 6) and decreases if 𝑏 < 1 (example 7).

Example 6: Graphing an exponential function

Plot the graph of 𝑦 = 2𝑥 .

For this function, we have the values in the following table:

𝒙 𝒚

𝟎 𝟏

−𝟐 𝟏
𝟒
−𝟏 𝟏
𝟐
𝟏 𝟐

𝟐 𝟒

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Credit: Demos Calculator

Example 7: Graphing an exponential function

Plot the graph of 𝑦 = 3−2𝑥 .

For this function, we have the values in the following table:

𝑥 𝑦
0 1
𝟏 𝟏
3−1 =
𝟐 𝟑
1 −2
𝟏
3 =
𝟗
𝟏 31 = 𝟑
−
𝟐
−1 32 = 𝟗

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Credit: Demos Calculator

Homework 11.5

3,5, 9, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 33, 39, 43, 45, 49

References:

Basic Technical Mathematics with Calculus SI Version, 12ed