Decide whether each situation describes a quadratic, exponential, or logarithmic function. HINT: draw a table and plug in some points!
1 Earthquakes release enormous amounts of energy, which we can compare to the energy released by blowing up pounds of dynamite. For example, richter(12,000) = 4.0, meaning that the force of blowing up 12,000 pounds of dynamite produces a 4.0 on the Richter scale! richter(400,000) = 5.0, richter(12,540,000) = 6.0, and richter(398,000,000) = 7.0. |
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2 A car accelerates at a constant rate of 5mph/s. After 1 second, distance(1) = 2.5miles. distance(2) = 10, distance(3) = 22.5, and distance(4) = 40 |
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3 Moore’s law says that the number of transistors in a microprocessor will double roughly every 1.5 years. Starting with 16 transistors, how many years will it take to reach 4,294,967,296 transistors? |
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4 The population of a colony of bacteria can double every 20 minutes, as long as there is enough space and food. Starting with 1 bacteria, f(20) = 2, f(40) = 4, f(60) = 8, f(80) = 16… |
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5 Sequan puts $100 in a savings account, earning 4% interest. After a year, savings(1) = $104. savings(2) = $108.16, savings(2) = $112.49… |
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6 If the width and length of a rectangle doubles, how much does the area change? |
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These materials were developed partly through support of the National Science Foundation, (awards 1042210, 1535276, 1648684, 1738598, 2031479, and 1501927). 
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