Intermediate Algebra A Exponential Decay Week 5 Day 2

Please record your notes in your notebook, underneath your warm up from this morning When we
finish, you will upload your warm up and your classwork to Canvas.
LEARNING TARGET

• I can write an expression or equation to represent a quantity that decays

exponentially.
• I know the meanings of “exponential growth” and “exponential decay.”

A. What’s Left?

Diego has $100 and spends 1/4 of it. How much does he have left? Explain your
reasoning.

1. Here is one way to think about how much Diego has left after spending 1/4 of
$100. Explain each step.

Step 1:

Step 2:

Step 3:

Step 4:
 2. A person makes $1,800 per month, but 1/3 of that amount goes to her rent. What
two numbers can you multiply to find out how much she has after paying her
rent?

3. Write an expression that only uses multiplication and that is equivalent to

reduced by 1/8 of .

A decreasing quantity can be expressed as a subtraction expression and as

a multiplication of two numbers.

4. There were dogs at the park and 1/5 of the dogs were on a leash. How many
dogs were not on a leash? Express your answer as a subtraction and as a
multiplication.

B. Value of a Vehicle

Every year after a new car is purchased, it loses 1/3 of its value. Let’s say that a new
car costs $18,000. Estimate, without calculating, what the value of the car will be 4
years after it was purchased as a new car?

1. A buyer worries that the car will be worth nothing in three years. Do you agree?
Explain your reasoning.
2. Write an expression to show how to find the value of the car for each year listed in
the table.

year (t) value of car in dollars (v)

0 18,000

𝑡
3. Write an equation relating the value of the car in dollars, 𝑣, to the number of years,
𝑡.

4. Use your equation to find 𝑣 when 𝑡 is 0. What does this value of 𝑣 mean in this
situation?

5. A different car loses value at a different rate. The value of this different car in
4 𝑡
dollars, 𝑑, after 𝑡 years can be represented by the equation 𝑑 = 10, 000 ⋅ ( ) .
5
4
Explain what the numbers 10,000 and mean in this situation.
5
 Situations with quantities that decrease exponentially are
described with exponential decay. The multiplier is still called the growth
factor, though sometimes people call it the decay factor instead.

C. Desmos Graph
1. Go to desmos.com and sign in with your 4j google account.

2. In the top left corner, press the + tab and select f(x) expression.

3. Enter the equation: using the ^ key to indicate x is an

exponent.

4. In the top right corner of the screen, press the wrench icon. Enter ‘Time (hours)’ in

the box to the right of the x-axis. Enter ‘Number of Bacteria’ in the box next to the

y-axis.

5. Limit your domain to 0 < x < 7 and the range to 0 < y < 30000. Use your cursor

to adjust the scale of the graph so that you can see the graph when x=0 as well

as when x=6

6. What happens to the graph when x < 0?

7. Sketch your graph, showing significant points.

D. The Algae Bloom

In order to control an algae bloom in

a lake, scientists introduce some
treatment products.

Once the treatment begins, the area covered by algae , in square yards, is given by

the equation Time, , is measured in weeks.

1. In the equation, what does the 240 tell us about the algae? What does the 1/3

tell us?

2. Use Desmos to create a graph to

represent

when is 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4.

What would be a reasonable domain and

range this time?

Sketch your graph on your paper.

About how many square yards will the algae

cover after 2.5 weeks? Explain your
reasoning.
E. Insulin in the Body

A patient who is diabetic receives 100 micrograms of insulin. The graph shows the
amount of insulin, in micrograms, remaining in his bloodstream over time, in minutes.

1. Scientists have found that the amount of insulin in a patient’s body changes
exponentially. How can you check if the graph supports the scientists’ claim?

2. Complete the table to show the predicted amount of insulin 4 and 5 minutes after
injection.

time after injection (minutes) 0 1 2 3 4 5

insulin in the bloodstream
100 90 81 72.9
(micrograms)

3. Describe how you would find how many micrograms of insulin remain in his
bloodstream after 10 minutes. After 𝑚 minutes?
Summary

Here is a graph showing the amount of caffeine in a person's body, measured in

milligrams, over a period of time, measured in hours. We are told that the amount of
caffeine in the person's body changes exponentially.

The graph includes the point (0,200). This means that there were 200 milligrams of
caffeine in the person's body when it was initially measured. The point (1,180) tells us
there were 180 milligrams of caffeine 1 hour later. Between 6 and 7 hours after the
initial measurement, the amount of caffeine in the body fell below 100 milligrams.
We can use the graph to find out what fraction of caffeine remains in the body each
180 9 162 9
hour. Notice that = and = . As each hour passes, the amount of caffeine
200 10 180 10
9
that stays in the body is multiplied by a factor of .
10

If 𝑦 is the amount of caffeine, in milligrams, and 𝑡 is time, in hours, then this situation is
modeled by the equation:
9 𝑡
𝑦 = 200 ⋅ ( )
10