Exponential Exercises

The value of a car is V(x)= 10(.75)x, where x≥0 is the age of the car in years and V(x) is its value in thousands of $.

Rewrite the function using a rational number instead of the decimal.   
Is it an increasing or decreasing function?   
What is the starting value of the car?   
Evaluate:
V(0)=
V(1)=
V(2)=
V(3)=
V(5)=
V(10)=
V(20)=

Solve:
V(x)=10    x=
V(x)=5    x=
V(x)=2.5    x=
V(x)=1.25    x=

Based on these, how much time does it take for the value of the car to halve?   

Graph the function. What is the y-intercept?   


The price of a stock of MEGA Corp. is P(x)= 10(1.25)x,
where x≥0 is the numbers of years from today and P(x) is the stock's price in $.

Is it an increasing or decreasing function?   
What is the starting value of the stock?   
Evaluate:
P(0)   =
P(1)   =
P(2)   =
P(3)   =
P(5)   =
P(10)   =
P(20)   =

Solve:
P(x)=10    x=
P(x)=20    x=  
P(x)=40    x=
P(x)=80    x=

Based on these, how much time does it take for the price of the stock to double?
Graph the function. What is the y-intercept?


Some 60°C warm stuff is put into a 10°C cool place.
Its temperature T after t minutes is T(t)= 10 + 50e-0.1t

Is it an increasing or decreasing function?

Evaluate:
T(0) =
T(1) =
T(2) =
T(5) =
T(10) =
T(20) =
T(30) =
T(50) =

What looks to be the horizontal asymptote as t gets large?

Solve: T(t)=60    t=
T(t)=50    t=
T(t)=40    t=
T(t)=30    t=
T(t)=20    t=
T(t)=15    t=
T(t)=11    t=
T(t)=10.5    t=
T(t)=10.1    t=
T(t)=10.01    t=
T(t)=10    t=

Graph the function. What is the y-intercept?


World population doubled in the 40 years between 1960 and 2000, from 3 billion to 6 billion.
From this fact, a function that predicts future world population, in billions, is:
WP(t)= 6·20.025t    where t is years since 2000.

Is it an increasing or decreasing function?

Evaluate:
If this trend continues (it hasn't but pretend it did), what should the world population be
in 2024? =
in 2000? =
in 2050? =
in 2100? =

Solve:
When will the world population be
10 billion? WP(t)=10    year=
6 billion? WP(t)=6    year=
100 billion? WP(t)=100    year=

Graph the function. What is the y-intercept?


Carbon-14 is radioactive, which means some random atoms of a clump of it will change to some other kind of atom at a known rate.
Half of it will have changed in 5730 years (its "half-life").
The decimal percent amount of the starting pile that still is carbon-14 after t years is: S(t)= e-0.000121t

Is it an increasing or decreasing function?

Evaluate:
How much (what percent) is still carbon-14 after
0 years: S(0) =
1000 years: S(1000) =
2000 years: S(2000) =
10000 years: S(10000) =
20000 years: S(20000) =
100000 years: S(100000) =

Solve:
How many years for there to be one half of the starting amount: S(t)=.5    t=
How many years for there to be one quarter of the starting amount: S(t)=.25    t=
How many years for there to be one eighth of the starting amount: S(t)=.125    t=
How many years for there to be one sixteenth of the starting amount: S(t)=.0625    t=

Based on these, how much time does it take for the amount to halve?    t=

Graph the function. Adjust the axes to see the decreasing exponential curve.