Exponential growth is an area of math that you get to notice in everyday life. Have you noticed how the streets seem to appear more crowded than before? That is because our population tends to grow exponentially. Exponential growth is a pattern of change in data that grows at a rate (the exponential factor) that increases over time. When plotted on a graph, it will show an increasing trend, rising sharply as it proceeds.
By the end of the 7th year, the population of mice, which continues to grow exponentially, will be well beyond your control!
In the present case, we are talking about growth with the measly number of 2. But if you were to alter the number by just a little, the results change exaggeratingly.
Now imagine the same happening in the case of a population that lies in the hundreds of millions. Granted, many factors limit and slow down this growth, but even then, we are growing at a pretty exponential rate.
Understanding the concept:
Illustrating the concept with the help of an example, when things grow exponentially, they tend to increase faster every year. Let’s say that you start with a pair of pet mice, and their population achieves exponential growth. This means that in the first year, you will have:| YEAR | NO. OF MICE |
| 1st | 2 |
| 2nd | 4 |
| 3rd | 8 |
| 4th | 16 |
| 5th | 32 |
| 6th | 64 |
| 7th | 128 |
| YEAR | NO. OF MICE |
| 1st | 20 |
| 2nd | 40 |
| 3rd | 80 |
| 4th | 160 |
| 5th | 320 |
| 6th | 640 |
| 7th | 1280 |
