Exponential Growth (Doubling Time)
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Exponential Growth (Doubling Time)
Suppose we start with a single bacterium, which divides
every hour. After one hour we have 2 bacteria, after two
hours we have 22 or 4 bacteria, after three hours we have
23 or 8 bacteria, and so on (see Figure 1).
We see that we can model the bacteria population after t
hours by f(t) = 2t.
Bacteria population
Figure 1
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Exponential Growth (Doubling Time)
If we start with 10 of these bacteria, then the population is
modeled by f(t) = 10 2t.
A slower-growing strain of bacteria doubles every 3 hours;
in this case the population is modeled by f(t) = 10 2t/3. In
general, we have the following.
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Example 1 – Bacteria Population
Under ideal conditions a certain bacteria population
doubles every three hours. Initially there are 1000 bacteria
in a colony.
(a) Find a model for the bacteria population after t hours.
(b) How many bacteria are in the colony after 15 hours?
(c) When will the bacteria count reach 100,000?
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Example 1 – Solution
(a) The population at time t is modeled by
n(t) = 1000 2t/3
where t is measured in hours.
(b) After 15 hours the number of bacteria is
n(15) = 1000 215/3 = 32,000
(c) We set n(t) = 100,000 in the model that we found in part
(a) and solve the resulting exponential equation for t.
100,000 = 1000 2t/3 n(t) = 1000 2t/3
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Example 1 – Solution cont’d
100 = 2t/3 Divide by 1000
log 100 = log 2t/3 Take log of each side
2= log 2 Properties of log
t= Solve for t
19.93
The bacteria level reaches 100,000 in about 20 hours.
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Exponential Growth
(Relative Growth Rate)
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Exponential Growth (Relative Growth Rate)
We have used an exponential function with base 2 to
model population growth (in terms of the doubling time).
We could also model the same population with an
exponential function with base 3 (in terms of the tripling
time).
In fact, we can find an exponential model with any base. If
we use the base e, we get the following model of a
population in terms of the relative growth rate r; the rate of
population growth expressed as a proportion of the
population at any time.
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Exponential Growth (Relative Growth Rate)
For instance, if r = 0.02, then at any time t the growth rate
is 2% of the population at time t.
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Exponential Growth (Relative Growth Rate)
Notice that the formula for population growth is the same
as that for continuously compounded interest.
In fact, the same principle is at work in both cases: The
growth of a population (or an investment) per time period is
proportional to the size of the population (or the amount of
the investment).
A population of 1,000,000 will increase more in one year
than a population of 1000; in exactly the same way, an
investment of $1,000,000 will increase more in one year
than an investment of $1000. In the next example we
assume that the populations grow exponentially.
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Example 3 – Predicting the Size of a Population
The initial bacterium count in a culture is 500. A biologist
later makes a sample count of bacteria in the culture and
finds that the relative rate of growth is 40% per hour.
(a) Find a function that models the number of bacteria after
t hours.
(b) What is the estimated count after 10 hours?
(c) When will the bacteria count reach 80,000?
(d) Sketch the graph of the function n(t).
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Example 3 – Solution
(a) We use the exponential growth model with n0 = 500 and
r = 0.4 to get
n(t) = 500e0.4t
where t is measured in hours.
(b) Using the function in part (a), we find that the bacterium
count after 10 hours is
n(10) = 500e0.4(10)
= 500e4
27,300
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Example 3 – Solution
(c) We set n(t) = 80,000 and solve the resulting exponential
equation for t:
80,000 = 500 e0.4t n(t) = 500 e0.4t
160 = e0.4t Divide by 500
ln 160 = 0.4t Take ln of each side
t= Solve for t
12.68
The bacteria level reaches 80,000 in about 12.7 hours. 16
Example 3 – Solution cont’d
(d) The graph is shown in Figure 3.
Figure 3
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Radioactive Decay
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Radioactive Decay
Radioactive substances decay by spontaneously emitting
radiation. The rate of decay is proportional to the mass of
the substance.
This is analogous to population growth except that the
mass decreases. Physicists express the rate of decay in
terms of half-life.
For example, the half-life of radium-226 is 1600 years, so a
100-g sample decays to 50 g (or 100 g) in 1600 years,
then to 25 g (or 100 g) in 3200 years, and so on.
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Radioactive Decay
In general, for a radioactive substance with mass m0 and
half-life h, the amount remaining at time t is modeled by
where h and t are measured in the same time units
(minutes, hours, days, years, and so on).
To express this model in the form m(t) = m0 ert, we need to
find the relative decay rate r.
Since h is the half-life, we have
m(t) = m0 e–rt Model
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Radioactive Decay
= m0e–rh h is the half-life
= e–rh Divide by m0
ln = –rh Take ln of each side
r= Solve for r
This last equation allows us to find the rate r from the
half-life h.
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Radioactive Decay
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Example 6 – Radioactive Decay
Polonium-210 (210Po) has a half-life of 140 days. Suppose
a sample of this substance has a mass of 300 mg.
(a) Find a function m(t) = m02–t/h that models the mass
remaining after t days.
(b) Find a function m(t) = m0e–rt that models the mass
remaining after t days.
(c) Find the mass remaining after one year.
(d) How long will it take for the sample to decay to a mass
of 200 mg? 23
Example 6 – Radioactive Decay
(e) Draw a graph of the sample mass as a function of time.
Solution:
(a) We have m0 = 300 and h = 140, so the amount
remaining after t days is
m(t) = 300 2–t/140
(b) We have m0 = 300 and r = ln 2/140 –0.00495, so the
amount remaining after t days is
m(t) = 300 e–0.00495t
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Example 6 – Solution cont’d
(c) We use the function that we found in part (a) with
t = 365 (one year).
m(365) = 300e–0.00495(365) 49.256
Thus, approximately 49 mg of 210Po remains after one
year.
(d) We use the function that we found in part (a) with
m(t) = 200 and solve the resulting exponential equation
for t.
300e–0.00495t = 200 m(t) = m0e–rt
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Example 6 – Solution cont’d
e–0.00495t = Divided by 300
ln e–0.00495t = ln Take ln of each side
–0.00495t = ln Property of ln
t= Solve for t
t 81.9 Calculator
The time required for the sample to decay to 200 mg is
about 82 days. 26
Example 6 – Solution cont’d
(e) We can graph the model in part (a) or the one in part (b).
The graphs are identical. See Figure 6.
Figure 6
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Newton’s Law of Cooling
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Newton’s Law of Cooling
Newton’s Law of Cooling states that the rate at which an
object cools is proportional to the temperature difference
between the object and its surroundings, provided that the
temperature difference is not too large.
By using calculus, the following model can be deduced
from this law.
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Example 7 – Newton’s Law of Cooling
A cup of coffee has a temperature of 200F and is placed in
a room that has a temperature of 70F. After 10 min the
temperature of the coffee is 150 F.
(a) Find a function that models the temperature of the
coffee at time t.
(b) Find the temperature of the coffee after 15 min.
(c) When will the coffee have cooled to 100 F?
(d) Illustrate by drawing a graph of the temperature
function.
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Example 7 – Solution
(a) The temperature of the room is Ts = 70F, and the initial
temperature difference is
D0 = 200 – 70 = 130F
So by Newton’s Law of Cooling, the temperature after t
minutes is modeled by the function
T(t) = 70 + 130e–kt
We need to find the constant k associated with this cup
of coffee.
To do this, we use the fact that when t = 10, the
temperature is T(10) = 150. 31
Example 7 – Solution cont’d
To do this, we use the fact that when t = 10, the temperature
is T(10) = 150.
So we have
70 + 130e–10k = 150 Ts + D0e–kt = T(t)
130e–10k = 80 Subtract 70
e–10k = Divided by 130
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Example 7 – Solution cont’d
–10k = ln Take ln of each side
k=– ln Solve for k
k 0.04855 Calculator
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Example 7 – Solution cont’d
Substituting this value of k into the expression for T(t),
we get
T (t) = 70 + 130e–0.04855t
(b) We use the function that we found in part (a) with t = 15.
T(15) = 70 + 130e–0.04855(15) 133F
(c) We use the function that we found in part (a) with
T(t) = 100 and solve the resulting exponential equation
for t.
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Example 7 – Solution cont’d
70 + 130e–0.04855t = 100 Ts + D0e–kt = T(t)
130e–0.04855t = 30 Subtract 70
e–0.04855t = Divided by 130
–0.04855t = ln Take ln of each side
t= Solve for t
t 30.2 Calculator
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Example 7 – Solution cont’d
The coffee will have cooled to 100 F after about half an
hour.
(d) The graph of the temperature function is sketched in
Figure 7. Notice that the line t = 70 is a horizontal
asymptote.
Temperature of coffee after t minutes
Figure 7
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