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Find an equation for the exponential function graphed in [link] .

Graph of an increasing function with a labeled point at (0, sqrt(2)).

f ( x ) = 2 ( 2 ) x . Answers may vary due to round-off error. The answer should be very close to 1.4142 ( 1.4142 ) x .

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Given two points on the curve of an exponential function, use a graphing calculator to find the equation.

  1. Press [STAT].
  2. Clear any existing entries in columns L1 or L2.
  3. In L1 , enter the x -coordinates given.
  4. In L2 , enter the corresponding y -coordinates.
  5. Press [STAT] again. Cursor right to CALC , scroll down to ExpReg (Exponential Regression) , and press [ENTER].
  6. The screen displays the values of a and b in the exponential equation y = a b x .

Using a graphing calculator to find an exponential function

Use a graphing calculator to find the exponential equation that includes the points ( 2 , 24.8 ) and ( 5 , 198.4 ) .

Follow the guidelines above. First press [STAT] , [EDIT] , [1: Edit…], and clear the lists L1 and L2 . Next, in the L1 column, enter the x -coordinates, 2 and 5. Do the same in the L2 column for the y -coordinates, 24.8 and 198.4.

Now press [STAT] , [CALC] , [0: ExpReg] and press [ENTER] . The values a = 6.2 and b = 2 will be displayed. The exponential equation is y = 6.2 2 x .

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Use a graphing calculator to find the exponential equation that includes the points (3, 75.98) and (6, 481.07).

y 12 1.85 x

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Applying the compound-interest formula

Savings instruments in which earnings are continually reinvested, such as mutual funds and retirement accounts, use compound interest    . The term compounding refers to interest earned not only on the original value, but on the accumulated value of the account.

The annual percentage rate (APR)    of an account, also called the nominal rate    , is the yearly interest rate earned by an investment account. The term  nominal  is used when the compounding occurs a number of times other than once per year. In fact, when interest is compounded more than once a year, the effective interest rate ends up being greater than the nominal rate! This is a powerful tool for investing.

We can calculate the compound interest using the compound interest formula, which is an exponential function of the variables time t , principal P , APR r , and number of compounding periods in a year n :

A ( t ) = P ( 1 + r n ) n t

For example, observe [link] , which shows the result of investing $1,000 at 10% for one year. Notice how the value of the account increases as the compounding frequency increases.

Frequency Value after 1 year
Annually $1100
Semiannually $1102.50
Quarterly $1103.81
Monthly $1104.71
Daily $1105.16

The compound interest formula

Compound interest can be calculated using the formula

A ( t ) = P ( 1 + r n ) n t

where

  • A ( t ) is the account value,
  • t is measured in years,
  • P is the starting amount of the account, often called the principal, or more generally present value,
  • r is the annual percentage rate (APR) expressed as a decimal, and
  • n is the number of compounding periods in one year.

Calculating compound interest

If we invest $3,000 in an investment account paying 3% interest compounded quarterly, how much will the account be worth in 10 years?

Because we are starting with $3,000, P = 3000. Our interest rate is 3%, so r   =   0.03. Because we are compounding quarterly, we are compounding 4 times per year, so n = 4. We want to know the value of the account in 10 years, so we are looking for A ( 10 ) , the value when t   =   10.

A ( t ) = P ( 1 + r n ) n t Use the compound interest formula . A ( 10 ) = 3000 ( 1 + 0.03 4 ) 4⋅10 Substitute using given values . $ 4045.05 Round to two decimal places .

The account will be worth about $4,045.05 in 10 years.

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Questions & Answers

Ayele, K., 2003. Introductory Economics, 3rd ed., Addis Ababa.
Widad Reply
can you send the book attached ?
Ariel
?
Ariel
What is economics
Widad Reply
the study of how humans make choices under conditions of scarcity
AI-Robot
U(x,y) = (x×y)1/2 find mu of x for y
Desalegn Reply
U(x,y) = (x×y)1/2 find mu of x for y
Desalegn
what is ecnomics
Jan Reply
this is the study of how the society manages it's scarce resources
Belonwu
what is macroeconomic
John Reply
macroeconomic is the branch of economics which studies actions, scale, activities and behaviour of the aggregate economy as a whole.
husaini
etc
husaini
difference between firm and industry
husaini Reply
what's the difference between a firm and an industry
Abdul
firm is the unit which transform inputs to output where as industry contain combination of firms with similar production 😅😅
Abdulraufu
Suppose the demand function that a firm faces shifted from Qd  120 3P to Qd  90  3P and the supply function has shifted from QS  20  2P to QS 10  2P . a) Find the effect of this change on price and quantity. b) Which of the changes in demand and supply is higher?
Toofiq Reply
explain standard reason why economic is a science
innocent Reply
factors influencing supply
Petrus Reply
what is economic.
Milan Reply
scares means__________________ends resources. unlimited
Jan
economics is a science that studies human behaviour as a relationship b/w ends and scares means which have alternative uses
Jan
calculate the profit maximizing for demand and supply
Zarshad Reply
Why qualify 28 supplies
Milan
what are explicit costs
Nomsa Reply
out-of-pocket costs for a firm, for example, payments for wages and salaries, rent, or materials
AI-Robot
concepts of supply in microeconomics
David Reply
economic overview notes
Amahle Reply
identify a demand and a supply curve
Salome Reply
i don't know
Parul
there's a difference
Aryan
Demand curve shows that how supply and others conditions affect on demand of a particular thing and what percent demand increase whith increase of supply of goods
Israr
Hi Sir please how do u calculate Cross elastic demand and income elastic demand?
Abari
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Source:  OpenStax, Precalculus. OpenStax CNX. Jan 19, 2016 Download for free at https://legacy.cnx.org/content/col11667/1.6
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