Exponential Growth and Decay

What is Exponential Growth and Decay?

A quantity grows or decays exponentially when it is multiplied by the same factor in every equal period, so after n periods it equals the starting value times that factor to the power n. Growth uses a multiplier greater than one and decay a multiplier between zero and one, and the exponent counts completed periods rather than elapsed time.

This definition is part of the Number chapter in Cambridge O Level Mathematics (Syllabus D).

Concepts related to Exponential Growth and Decay

• repeated multiplier
• depreciation
• compound interest
• half-life style decay