Exponentials and logarithms Contents: Exponential functions B Graphing exponential functions from a table of values Graphs of exponential functions Exponential equations Growth and decay The natural exponential Logarithms in base 10 Natural logarithms184 EXPONENTIALS AND LOGARITHMS (Chapter 8) OPENING PROBLEM A Petri dish contains a colony of 10 million bacteria. It takes one hour for each of these bacteria to divide into two bacteria, so every hour the total number of bacteria doubles. This table shows the population b million bacteria after time t hours thous) [0] 1 [2] 3] 4 b (millions) { 10 | 20 | 40 | 80 | 160 Things to think about: a What type of sequence do these values form? b If dis plotted against f, what shape do these points form on a graph? € Is it reasonable to connect the points with a smooth curve? d_ What function can be used to model the bacteria population over time? The growth of bacteria in the Opening Problem is shown 180, 4 (millions of bacteria) on the graph alongside. a The bacteria do not all divide at the same time, but instead 140) divide throughout the hour. The population is therefore 4, continually growing, and it is reasonable to join the points with a smooth curve. 100) : 80 We can use the curve to estimate the population of bacteria" at times other than on the hour. For example, after 14 hours © there are about 28 million bacteria present. wo ‘We can also model the bacteria population using a function. 0, (hours) 0 1ib2 a 5 From our previous work on sequences, we observe that the population after each hour forms a geometric sequence with common ratio 2. The general term of the sequence is by = 20x 2'~1, where £ EN is an integer number of hours. However, we are also interested in what happens when ¢ is not an integer. ‘We therefore use the function b(t) = 20 x 2*~? 10x22! =10x2" We call this an exponential funetion. In this Chapter we study exponential functions and their applications in growth and decay. W. logarithms which are the inverse of exponential functions.EXPONENTIALS AND LOGARITHMS (Chapter 8) 185 | EXPONENTIAL FUNCTIONS An exponential function is a function in which the variable appears in the exponent. For example, f(x) = 5% and g(x) = 3x 2-* +1. are exponential functions. Gra 4) Self Tutor For the function f(z) = 3° +5, find: a f(6) & FO) © fC) a f(6)= b fO=3 +5 © f(-2)= iste gts =5) EXERCISE 8A ‘1 Decide whether each function is an exponential function: a y=3* b f(e)=#"-1 © y=a8-2 d f(e)=7-2-7 © g(x) =yE+5 f f(e)=-3x5? 2 If f(z) =2* —3, find: 2 f(2) & FQ) «© §(0) a f(-1) © f(-2) 3 If f(a) =5%:3*, find a f(t) > £(3) © (0) d f(-4) e f(-D 4 If f(z) =2% 2%, find: a f(4) b (0) © f(D) d f(- e f(-5) 5 If glx) =5-*, find: a g(t) b 9(3) © g(0) d g(-2) © g(-3) 6 If h(x) =3 x (1.1)*, use your calculator to evaluate: a A(0) & at) © A(5) a h(-2) e A(3.8) 7 Determine whether the given point satisfies the exponential function: ay=2+l (3, 9) & f(x) =5 (1, 5) © f(z) =3-*-2 (0, -1) d y=6x2 (-1.3) e f(z)=-4x37+1 (2, -18) f y=4-42 — (-1,66) ® For the function f(r) = 3° —1, show that the axes intercepts are both zero. 9% For the function f(x) =2-* — 8, show that: a. the y-intercept is —7 the a-intercept is —3,186 EXPONENTIALS AND LOGARITHMS (Chapter 8) IONS LUES We can construct a table of values to help graph exponential y functions, just as we did for quadratics. For example, the table below gives values of y = 2°. =3] 2) 1 os 6 / a] a ]e{t} 24 4| Drawing a smooth curve through the points, we see that as 2 becomes large and negative, the graph approaches the z-axis, 4| For example: when x=—10, y=2>' = 0.001 i when 2=—50, y= 27% = 8.88 x 10718 SS We conclude that y = 0 is a horizontal asymptote of the funetion, We write “as x —00, y+ 0" to mean “as x approaches minus infinity, y approaches zero” We also notice that as xr becomes large and positive, y also becomes large and positive. We write “as 00, y > 20". EXERCISE 8B 1. Consider the exponential function y = 4°. Copy and complete the table of values. a3 b Complete the following statements: i. If is increased by 1, the value of y is li Ifa is decreased by 1, the value of y is © Use your table of values to draw the graph of y = 4". 4 Copy and complete: i As t-0, yo li As 2+ —c0, yo Find the horizontal asymptote of y = 4* 1 2 Consider the exponential funetion y = (4)* @ Copy and complete the table of values. -— 1b Use your table of values to draw the graph of Fy ¢ Is the graph of y "increasing or decreasing? Copy and complete: 1 As t00, yo Wi As r4-c0, y> Find the horizontal asymptote of y = (4)*EXPONENTIALS AND LOGARITHMS (Chapter 8) 187 3) Construct a table of values for x function: a y=243 b y=3"—4 roc ¢ yaa d ya5x2 Use the graphing package or your graphies calculator to check your answers. 4 @ Construct a table of values for «= —3, -2, -1, 0, 1, 2,3 for the function: i y=2* i y=(4)" Comment on your answers b Explain why 2-* = (4)" © Sketch the graph of f(x) = 2-* = (4)* [> [GRAPHS OF exPonENTIAL FUNCTIONS INVESTIGATION 1 In this Investigation we consider the graphs of exponential functions of the form _SfAPKING y=ka® +e and y=ka-* +e, where a>0, af 1. ‘ What to do: , and y= (1.3)" —2, 1, 0, 1, 2, 3, then use your table to graph cach 1a Onthe same set of axes, graph the functions y= 2", y=3", y & For the family y=a* where a> 1: 1 Is the function increasing or decreasing? Il What is the horizontal asymptote? Hii What effect does changing a have on the shape of the graph? 2 a On the same set of axes, graph the functions y = (3), y = ( y= (i)" b For the family y=a* where 00, af 1: * are related. © Explain why a-* = (2) for all a> 0, a# 1, Hence describe how the graphs of “= and y= Q) are related. y= 5 a On the same set of axes, graph the functions: i y=2%, y=3x 2, and y= dx 2" Wo y=-1x2, y=-3x2%, and y= bx ae & Forthe family y= kx 2* where é is a constant: 1 What effect does the sign of k have? Hi What effect does the size of k have? Hi What is the horizontal asymptote of each graph? From the Investi mn you should have discovered that: For the general exponential functions y= ka* +e and y=ka* +e: © controls the vertical position of the graph. ‘© The horizontal asymptote is y = c. © and k both affect how steeply the graph increases or decreases. © The sign of k determines whether the graph lies above or below the asymptote. We can sketch the graph of an exponential function using: © the horizontal asymptote exo) + the intercept All exponential graphs have +) ‘© two other points. ee oath Emre Self Tutor Sketch the graph of y=2-* —3. Hence state the domain and range of f(a) = 2-* —3. For y=27* -3, 4 the horizontal asymptote is y = 2 When «=0, y=2°-3 the y-intercept is —2. When z= 2, y=2-?-3 ; 4 When z=-2, y=2?-3=1 The domain is {2 | « € B}. yao The range is {y | y > -3}EXPONENTIALS AND LOGARITHMS (Chapter 8) 189 EXERCISE 8C 11 Match each funtion with its graph: 2 Sketch each pair of functions on the same set of axes: Searuins a y=2 and y=2"+3 b y=2" and y=2-* % © y= and y=5* d@ y= and y=2x 2 3. Sketch each pair of functions on the same set of axes: a y=3* and y=3-* by and y= 3% 41 © y=3F and y= —3* dy and y= 3x3" 4 State the equation of the horizontal asymptote of: a y=5%-1 b y=2F+4 © y=3x4d +1 5. Find the y-intercept of: a fle) =3" +4 (x) =6-* -2 © fle) =3x247 6 Consider the exponential funetion f(r) = 3° — 2. a Find = 1 f(0) = f(2)—siitf(-2) State the equation of the horizontal asymptote. © Sketch the graph of the function. State the domain and range of the function. 7 Consider the function g(x) =3 x ($)" +4. a Find: =i g(0) it (2) itt g(-2) State the equation of the horizontal asymptote. © Sketch the graph of the funetion, @ State the domain and range of the function. 8 For each of the following exponential functions: i Calculate the y-intercept li State the equation of the horizontal asymptote. {ii Find the values of y when «= 2 and x iv. Sketch the function using the information from to ill, State the domain and range of the function. a y=P4l1 b y=3-44 « e@ y=2-2° f y=4*43, a190 _EXPONENTIALS AND LOGARITHMS (Ch ter 8) Bruce Fear ro ‘This graph shows the curve y = k x 3* +c, where and c are constants, yakx3 te Find the values of i and ¢. Substituting (0, 2) into the equation gives 2=k x 3° +e Substituting (1, —2) into the equation gives Rx3'te 2. 3kte=-2 Solving the system of equations kt ak+ gives k=-2, o=4, simultaneously 9 The graph alongside shows the curve kx 2" +, where k and c are constants. a Find the values of & and « b Find y when =6. 10 y This graph shows the function f(x) = 3.5 ri where a is a positive constant. Fa) =3.5—a-* The point (~1, 2) lies on the graph. | Write down the coordinates of the intercept, P. b Find the value of a. * € Find the equation of the horizontal asymptote. ‘11 Find the exponential model in each graph: aEXPONENTIALS AND LOGARITHMS (Chapter 8) 191 12 The graph of y =k x 4" +e is shown alongside. a Explain why: 1k must be positive i © must be negative. b Find the equation of the exponential function, © Find the y-intercept. State the horizontal asymptote. 13. An exponential function of the form f(x) =k x a® +e has y-intercept 10, horizontal asymptote y=2, and passes through the point (5, 258). Find the exponential function 14 An exponential function of the form f(r) =h x a~* + has y-intercept 1, horizontal asymptote y=4, and passes through the point (1,2). Find the exponential function, © For the exponential function y =a", why do we choose to specify: aafl b a>0? ‘© What does the graph of y= (—2)" look like? What is its domain and range? [I exronenriat eauarions An exponential equation is an equation in which the unknown occurs as part of the exponent or index. For example, 2° = 50 and 7!-* 10. are both exponential equations, To solve an exponential equation, we graph each side on the same set of axes. The x-coordinate of the intersection point is the solution to the equation. Bron CES Use technology to solve 3° We graph Y: = 3% and Y2=7 on the same set of axes, and find their point of intersection. Casio fr-CG50, ‘TI-84 Plus CE. Ti-nspire (Ses The solution is. ~ 1.77.192 EXPONENTIALS AND LOGARITHMS (Chapter 8) EXERCISE 8D 1 a Use the given graph of y = 2° to 7 estimate the solution to: f i 1 =3 ii 2 =06 i Use technology to check your answer. 2 L [ary z T aaa 2 Solve using technology: a 2° =20 b 4°=100 < 3° =30 4 (12}= © (1.04)* = 4.238 £ (0.9) =05 3. Solve using technology: a 3x2 =93 & 40x (0.8)* = 10 © 8x3" =120 21x (1.05)* = 34 © 500 x (0.95)* = 350 £250 x (1.125)* = 470 9 3°+5=50 fh 60+ 10 x (1.5)* = 80 i 20+ 80 x (0.75)* = 30 4 For what values of k does the equation 10 — 8 x (0.5)" = have: 1 solution 1b no solutions? GROWTH AND DECAY In this Section we will examine situations where quantities are either increasing or decreasing exponentially. These situations are known as growth and decay modelling, and occur frequently in the world around us. Populations of animals, people, and bacteria usually grow exponentially until they become limited by resources, We also see exponential growth in the value of items which appreciate over time. We observe exponential decay in radioactive substances, in the temperature of objects as they cool, and in the value of items which depreciate over time. For the exponential function y =k x a® +c where a,k>0, a1, we see: © growth if @>1 © decay if Ol after t days. Pra a Find the initial area covered by the weed. growth, b By what percentage does the area increase each day? © Find the area covered after: i 2 days fi 10 days lil 30 days. Sketch the graph of A(¢) using the results of a and ¢ only. Use technology to graph Y =3 x (1.08)* and Spare hence check your answers. i 2 The weight W of bacteria in a culture + hours after establishment is given by W(t) = 100 « (1.07)" grams. a Find the initial weight. Interpret the value 1.07 in the model. © Find the weight after: i 4 hours ii 10 hours iii 24 hours. Sketch the graph of the bacteria weight over time using the results of a and ¢ only. Use technology to graph Y; = 100 x (1.07) and hence check your answers. 2A breeding program to ensure the survival of pygmy possums is established with an initial population ‘of 50 (25 pairs). From a previous program, the expected population P in n years’ time is given by P(n) = Po x (1.23) a What is the value of Py? What is the expected population after: 1 2 years Hi 5 years ii 10 years? © Sketch the graph of the population over time using @ and b only. d_ How long will it take for the population to reach 500? Use technology to graph Y, = 50 x (1.23) and hence check your answers. 4 The speed of a chemical reaction is given by V(t) = 5 x (1.03) units, where ¢ is the temperature in°C. a Find the speed of the reaction at: ioc li 20°C. b Find the percentage increase in speed from 0°C to 20°C. Draw the graph of V(t) against t 4 At what temperature will the speed of the reaction reach 15 units?EXPONENTIALS AND LOGARITHMS (Chapter 8) 195 5. A flu virus spreads in a school. The number of people NV infected after t days is given by N= 4x 1.332, (20. 2 Find the number of people initially infected. Calculate the number of people infected after 16 days. ¢ There are 1200 people in the school. Estimate the time it will take for everybody in the school to catch the flu. d_ For what values of ¢ is it reasonable to use this model? 6 In 1998, 200 bears were introduced to a large island off Alaska where previously there were no bears. The population increased exponentially according to B(t) = Bo x at, where a> 0. is a constant and t is the time in years since the introduction, a Find Bo b In 2000 there were 242 bears. Find a, and interpret your answer. © Find the expected bear population in 2018. Find the expected percentage increase in population from 2008 to 2018, How long will it take for the population to reach 20007 7 Kayla deposited €5000 into an account. The amount in the account increases by 8% each year. a Write a formula for the amount A(t) in the account after t years, Find the amount in the account after: 12 years li 5 years © Sketch the graph of A(t). 8 A house is expected to increase in value by 7.5% per 700000, ve) y year. Iis expected value in t yea given by the 5s exponential model V =k x a dollars, where > 0. ae ‘The model is graphed alongside. 500.000) a a. State the value of a. 100 000] ae : ‘ 87 000) Find the value of f, and interpret your answer. 549 gg] © How long will it take for the house’s value to (yeary) reach $550000? oa BO 9 A biologist is modelling an infestation of fire ants. He 8004 4 (hg determines that the area affected by the ants is given by A(n) =k x (1.5)"+e hectares, where n is the 600) number of weeks after the initial observation, and hk and are constants. 400) The model is graphed alongside. a. Use technology to find k and c. b Estimate the time taken for the infested area to 7 weeks) reach 1000 hectares, Oa eae aa196 _EXPONENTIALS AND LOGARITHMS (Chapter 8) 10 A parachutist jumps from the basket of a stationary hot air balloon. His speed of descent is given by V =c—k x (0.8)! ms~! where c and & are constants, and ¢ is the time in seconds. a Explain why =k. After 2 seconds, the parachutist has speed 21.6ms~?, Find the exponential model connecting V and t. © Find the speed of the parachutist after 4 seconds. Sketch the graph of V against t © Describe how the speed of the parachutist varies over time, iain A population of insects doubles in size each week, and exhausts the food supply after 6 months. At what time does 3 of the food remain? DECAY Consider a radioactive substance with original weight 254 1am) 20 grams. It decays or reduces by 5% each year. The multiplier for this is 95% or 0.95 If W, is the weight after m years, then: Wo =20 grams 15 Wy = Wo * 0.95 = 20 x 0.95 grams Wo = Wy x 0.95 = 20 x (0.95)? grams 10 Ws = W. x 0.95 = 20 x (0.95) grams. | Wap = 20 x (0.95) © 7.2 grams “| nyears Whoo = 20 x (0.95)!° ~ 0.1 grams. oF 10 20 From this pattern we see that Wx, = 20 x (0.95)", n €Z, which is again a geometric sequence. However, we know that radioactive decay is a continuous process, so the weight remaining will actually be given by the smooth exponential curve W/(n) = 20 x (0.95)", n ER. RRA Cs Gre When a diesel-electric generator is switched off, the current dies away according to the formula (i) =24 x (0.25)! amps, where # is the time in seconds after the power is cut. @ Find Z(t) when ¢=0, 1, 2, and 3. © What current flowed in the generator at the instant it was switched off? «Plot the graph of I(t) for £20. using the information above. Use your graph or technology to find how long it takes for the current to reach 4 amps.EXPONENTIALS AND LOGARITHMS (Chapter 8) 197 a I(t) = 24x (0.25)¢ amps 1(0) (1) 1(2) 13) 4 x (0.25)? = 24 x (0.25)! 24 x (0.25)? 24 x (0.25) 4 amps = 6 amps 1.5 amps 0.375 amps b 1(0)=24 When the generator was switched off, 24 amps of current flowed in the circuit. © AT (amps) 25 20] 6 H(t) =24 x (0.25)" 10 * vex TAs 2 a From the graph above, the time to reach 4 amps is about Wiser cordate 1.3 seconds. ‘or Using technology, the solution is ~ 1.29 seconds. EXERCISE 8E.2 11 When medication is taken by a patient, it is slowly used by their body. After t hours, the amount of drug remaining is given by D(t) = 120 x (0.9)* mg. 2 Interpret the value 0.9 in the model. Find D(t) when ¢ =0, 4, 12, and 24 hours, What was the original drug dose? Graph D(t) against ¢ for ¢>0 using the information from b. Use your graph or technology to find the time when there is v, only 25 mg of the drug left in the body. eane 2 The weight of a radioactive substance # years after being set aside is given by W(t) = 250 x (0.998)' grams a How much radioactive substance was initially set aside? b Determine the weight of the substance after: i 400 years ii 800 years ili 1200 years. © Sketch the graph of W(t) for t > 0 using a and b only, d__ Use your graph or graphies calculator to find how long it takes for the sul 125 grams. tance to dec198 _EXPONENTIALS AND LOGARITHMS (Chapter 8) 3. The current in a radio ¢ seconds after itis switched off is given by I(F) = 0.6 x (0.03)* amps. a Pind the initial current. Find the current after: i 0.1 seconds li 0.5 seconds fii 1 second. © Graph I(t) against ¢ using a and b only. 4% The temperature of a liquid t minutes after it has been placed in a refrigerator, is given by T(t) = 100 x (1.02)-* °C. ‘@ Find the initial temperature. b Find the temperature after: 115 minutes li 20 minutes fii 78 minutes. © Sketch the graph of T(t) for t > 0 using a and b only, How long will it take for the temperature to fall to 15°C? 5 An initial count of orangutans in a forest found that the forest contained 400 orangutans. Since then, the destruction of their habitat has caused the population to fall by 8% each year. a Write a formula for the population P of orangutans ¢ years after the initial count. Find the population of orangutans after: 11 year 5 years © Sketch the graph of the population over time. How long will it take for the population to fall to 2002 6 The intensity of light L diminishes below the surface of the sea according to the formula L = 10 x a units, where a > 0 is a constant and d is the depth in metres measured from the surface of the sea. a Would you expect that 0 1? Explain your answer, & The intensity of light 1m below the surface is 9.5 units. Find the value of a. ¢ Find the intensity of light 25 m below the surface. A light intensity of 4 units is considered adequate for divers to be able to see clearly. Calculate the depth corresponding to this intensity of light. © Calculate the range of depths for which the light intensity is between 1 and 3 units. 7A group of turtles was observed in a lake in 2005. 5004 The population of turtles has decreased by 5% each year since. The graph alongside shows the population of turtles, since 2005, a State the value of a. 200 eee b Find the value of &, and interpret this value, € Find the population of turtles in 2015, Do you think it reasonable to apply this model for negative values of f? Explain your answer. o 2 4 6 8 0 2B 400 (1,323) 300 100 (years since 2005)EXPONENTIALS AND LOGARITHMS (Chapter 8) 199 ® The value of a car after t years is given by the 300004 y¢g) exponential model V = k x 0.7! +e dollars, where 25.000, k and ¢ are constants, and t > 0. ‘The model is graphed alongside. 20000 @ State the value of c. Interpret this value in the 15000 context of the situation, b Find the value of k ae Ce) ¢ Find the initial value of the car. 5000 Ef @ How long will it take for the value of the car tog e220. eas rece 0 85000? Ge yeuranwertethenenes, “8S year © Does the car depreciate in value by the same percentage each year? Explain your answer. 9 When a packet of peas is placed in the freezer, its temperature after ¢ minutes is given by T(t) =¢-+k x 0.875" °C, where ¢ and k are constants. The temperature of the peas is 18°C after 1 minute, and 14.5°C after 2 minutes. a Use technology to find © and k. 1 What do you think is the temperature of the interior of the freezer? Explain your answer, ‘© What was the temperature of the packet of peas: 1. when first placed in the freezer li after 5 minutes iii after 10 minutes? Sketch the graph of T(t). © How long does it take for the temperature of the packet of peas to fall to 0°C? 10. The half-life of a radioactive substance is the time it takes for the substance’s weight to fall to half of its original value. The radioactive isotope fermium-253 has a half-life of 3 days. The weight of fermium-253 detected ¢ days after an explosion is W(t) = 10 x a mg. ‘a Interpret the value 10 in this model © Calculate the value of «, correct to 4 decimal places, and interpret this value. © Find the weight of fermium-253 after 2 days. 4 How long will it take for the weight of fermium-253 to fall to: | 3mg il, 1.25 mg? We have scen that the simplest exponential functions y= (0.2) have the form f(r) * where a>0, aA 1. Graphs of some of these functions are shown alongside. We can see that for all positive values of the base a, the graph is always positive. Hence a® >0 forall a>0. ‘There are an infinite number of possible choices for the base number.200 __EXPONENTIALS AND LOGARITHMS (Chapter 8) However, where exponential data is examined in science, engineering, and finance, the base © ~ 2.7183 is commonly used. e is a special number in mathematics. It is irrational like =, and just as = is the ratio of a circle’s reumference to its diameter, ¢ also has a physical meaning. We explore this meaning in the following Investigation. INVESTIGATION 2 A discrete formula for calculating the amount to which an investment grows under compound interest is tin =ug(1 +4)” where: ‘Un is the final amount, ‘uo is the initial amount, i is the interest rate per compounding period, 1n_ is the number of periods, or times the interest is compounded ‘We will investigate the final value of an investment for various values of 1, and allow n to become extremely large. What to 1. Suppose $1000 is invested for one year at a fixed rate of 6% per annum. Use your calculator to find the final amount or maturing value if the interest is paid: a annually (n= 1, i=6% = 0.06) © quarterly (n= 4, € monthly daily by the second # by the millisecond. — 0.015) Comment on your answers. 2 Suppose $1000 is invested for one year at a fixed rate of 6% per annum compounded NV times during the year. Explain why the value of the investment: a afier the first period is 1 = si000(1 + © at the end of the year is uy = $1000 ( +908) 3 Suppose uy is invested for t years at a fixed rate of r% per annum compounded NV times per year. a Explain why the value of the investment after: the first period is un = w(t + 5) ANG Hi the first year is uy w(t + <) Mt years is uy, =w(1+ & Let a=%. show that on ea [(0+2)']”EXPONENTIALS AND LOGARITHMS (Chapter 8) 201 ‘4 Now suppose the number of interest payments per year 1V gets very large. a Explain why a gets very large as NV gets very large. 0 © Copy and complete the table, giving your answers as 100 accurately as technology permits, 1000 10000 100000 1.000000 100000000 5 You should have found that for very large values of a, (Q + 2y Fv 2.718281 828 459. Use the [2] key of your calculator to find the value of e?, What do you notice? 6 For continuous growth, un = ue” where ty is the initial amount, r is the annual percentage rate, and ¢ is the number of years, Use this formula to find the final amount if $1000 is invested for 4 years at a fixed rate of 6% per annum, where the interest is paid continuously. Compare this value with your calculations int. From Investigation 2 we observe that: If interest is paid continuously or instantaneously then the formula for calculating a compounding amount Uy = wo(1 +i)" can be replaced by tum = ye", where ris the percentage rate per annum and t is the number of years, Since © ~ 2.71828, the graph of y= e* lies between the graphs of y=2° and y= 3" ed BURT ACTS ‘Sketch, on the same set of axes, the graphs of: ay 2et * and y a y= 2c isa vertical dilation of y=e* 6 y=. is ahorizontal dilation of y= with seale factor 2, with scale factor 3.