Section 10.3: Applications of Growth and Decay

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10.3 Outline

  1. Growth/decay formula
  2. Population growth
  3. Radioactive decay
  4. Logarithmic scales
    1. Richter number
    2. Richter scale
    3. decibel
    4. decibel formula

 

10.3 Essential Ideas

Exponential growth or decay can be described by the equation

A=Aoert

where r is the annual growth/decay rate, t is the time (in years), Ao is the amount present initially (present value) and A is the future value. If r is positive, this formula models growth and if r  is negative, the formula models decay.