Workshop 11: Exponential Functions II

1. Simplify the following expressions as much as possible:

(a)

(xy)n (yz)n (zx)n

=
(xyz)3n
Solution.

(b)

1
xn y n z n

2x x2 22x4
2x1 x8 2x3 x11
Solution.

32x
x

25x
x

3
24x 43x
=
(c)
(4x )2 ((2x )1 )1

Solution. 23x = 8x
(d) (xn + xn )3 =
Solution. x3n + 3xn + 3xn + x3n
(e)

xn+1 y 2n x1 (xy)n y 2n
=
yn 1
Solution. xn y 2n

(f) ((x2 )3 2x 3x )2 + 2x+1 3x x6 =

Solution. x12 + 36x
(g) (2x)n (3x)n + 6n x2n 22n+1 (x2 )n (3/2)n =
Solution. 0
(h)

(xn + 1)2 + (xn 1)2

=
2
Solution. x2n + 1

(i) 5x 4x 5x + (10x )2 +

510x 210x =

Solution. 3 102x = 3 100x

3

(j)

c(2x) (c2x )3
=
c6x
Solution. c8x

6x

(ax )1 + (a2x )2 /ax 3

(k)
ax

p
3
a2 a6x+6

Solution. 1 + a2x 3a2

2. In these problems, lower case letters are variables, and upper case letters are constants. Find the
constants.
(a) 23 2x/3+1 = J K x .
Solution. J = 16, K =

(b) 2y+1 22y2 = L M y .

Solution. L = 1/2, M = 8
(c) 5 + 3 4y/21 = N + P Qy .
Solution. N = 5, P = 3/4, Q = 2
(d) (2z + 3z ) 3z = R + S z .
Solution. R = 1, S = 6
(e) (82z/3 + 43z/2 )/4z = T + U z .
Solution. T = 1, U = 2

3. For each of the following graphs, figure out a function of exponential type whose graph could be the
one shown.

(a)
Solution. y = 3 2 3x

6
6
4
4
2
2
3
3

3
2

2
4

(b)

(c)
Solution. y = 3 3x 3 = 3x+1 3

4. For each function f (x), find lim f (x),

x

Solution. y = 4 + 2x+1
lim f (x), the y-intercept, and the x-intercept (if f has an

x-intercept it may not) and any asymptotes.

(a) f (x) = 1/4 23x

(b) f (x) = 5|x|

(c) f (x) = 2x + (1/3)x

(d) f (x) = 4 + 2x

(e) f (x) = (1/2)x

+1

Solution.
Function f (x)
1/4 23x
5|x|
x
2 + (1/3)x
2
4 + 2x
2
(1/2)x 4 + 1

limx f (x)
1/4
0

4
1

limx f (x)

4
1

y-intercept
31/4
1
2
3
15

x-intercept(s) (if any)

5

5. Assume the function is exponential. A very lucky investment is growing at a rate of 50% per year. At
time t = 0 years, it is worth 2 million dollars.
(a) How much will it be worth after two years?
Solution. 4.5 million dollars.
(b) Every year, the investment increases in value by what factor?
Solution. A factor of 1.5 = 3/2.
(c) How much will it be worth after twenty years? Express your answer using exponents.
Solution. 2 1.520 million dollars.
(d) Every two years, the investment increases in value by what percentage?
Solution. 125%.
(e) How many years will it take before the investment is worth more than 6 million dollars? (On this
part you only have to find the year. You do not have to find the month or day.)
Solution. 3 years.
(f) Find a formula for the value I(t) of the investment after t years.
Solution. I(t) = 2 1.5t million dollars.
6. Assume the function is exponential. A mysterious radioactive substance is decaying quickly. At time
t = 0 minutes, there are 81g of the substance. Every four minutes, it shrinks to 1/3 of its original size.
(a) How much of the substance will there be at time t = 16 minutes? Solution. 1 gram.
(b) Assuming that the substance was already in existence at time t = 8 minutes (in other words,
eight minutes before time 0), what was its mass then?
Solution. 729 grams.
(c) Every 8 minutes, the substance decreases in mass by what factor?
Solution. A factor of 1/9.
(d) Every 4 minutes, the substance decreases in mass by what percentage?
Solution. 66 23 %.
(e) How long will it take before the mass of the substance is 1/3 of a gram?
Solution. 20 minutes.
(f) Roughly how long will it take before the mass of the substance is 0.1 grams?
Solution. A little more than 24 minutes.
(g) Find a formula R(t) for the mass of the radioactive substance after t minutes.
Solution. R(t) = 81 (1/3)t/4 = 34t/4 grams.

7. In each of these situations, find an equation for the function described. Some of the
functions are not exponential.
(a) A bank account containing 6 dollars in year zero earns 12% a year, compounded monthly. Find
the value V (t) of the account after t years.
Solution. V (t) = 6 1.0112t .
(b) A virus is spreading. On day 8, there are 18 people infected. Every four days, the number of
people infected triples. Find I(t), the number of people infected after t days.
Solution. I(t) = 2 3t/4 .
(c) A mountain of garbage grows in weight by 50% every year. In year 1, the weight of the garbage
is 21 tons. Find the weight G(t) of the garbage after t years.
Solution. G(t) = 14 1.5t .
(d) A giant Carolina watermelon is being eaten by cockroaches. Every two days, 4% of the original
watermelon is eaten. If the watermelon weighs 100 pounds on day 0, find the weight W (t) of the
watermelon on day t. Your answer should be a piecewise function.
Solution.


W (t) =

100 2t : 0 w 50
0
: w > 50

(e) A volcanic lake is evaporating quickly. In year 1, its volume is 90 cubic miles. Every six months,
the lake loses one third of its volume to evaporation. Find L(t), the volume of the lake in year t.
Solution. L(t) = 40 (2/3)2t .
8. For each function, over the interval indicated, find the factor of increase/decrease and the percent rate
of increase/decrease:
(a) F (t) = 10 10t ; interval length: 2.
Solution. Factor: 100. Percent increase/decrease: 9900%.
(b) G(t) = 9 4t ; interval length: 1/2.
Solution. Factor: 2. Percent increase/decrease: 100%.
(c) H(t) = 7t+1 ; interval length: 2.
Solution. Factor: 49. Percent increase/decrease: 4800%.
(d) I(t) = 22t+22 ; interval length: 4.
Solution. Factor: 256. Percent increase/decrease: 25500%.

9. Some multiple choice questions: *This problem is also on the Problem Set and will be
turned in with your homework in the following class.
(a) A bank account earns 6% interest every year, compounded annually.
i. Over the course of a month, the account earns 0.5% interest.
ii. Over the course of a month, the account earns less than 0.5% interest.
iii. Over the course of a month, the account earns more than 0.5% interest.
iv. First the account earns less than 0.5% interest, but at a certain point, the account starts
earning more than 0.5% interest every month.

Solution. Over the course of one month, the account earns less than 0.5% interest. Note that
we can look at the percent change between any two months using the function M (t) = M0 (1.06)t
1
and FINAL= M0 (1.06)t+ 12 , INITIAL= M0 (1.06)t . Then precent change is
1

1
M0 (1.06)t+ 12 M0 (1.06)t
M0 (1.06)t (M0 (1.06) 12 1)
=
= (1.06) 12 1 0.488%.
t
t
M0 (1.06)
M0 (1.06)

(b) Let f (x) = Ax , where A is a positive real number. Let lim f (x) = L. Then
x

i. Either L = or L = .
ii. Either L = or L = 0.
iii. There are exactly three possibilities for L: 0, 1, and ..
iv. L can be any real number.

Solution. There are exactly three possibilities for L: 0, 1, and .

(c) Let f (x) = A B x , where A and B are a real numbers and B is positive. Let lim f (x) = L. Then
x

i. Either L = or L = .
ii. Either L = or L = 0.
iii. There are exactly five possibilities for L: 0, 1, 1, , and .
iv. L can be , , or any real number.

Solution. L can be , , or any real number.