12 Maths B – Term 1
EXPONENTIAL MODELLING
1. The atmospheric pressure decreases by 11% for every 1km of height above the Earth’s surface from a
pressure of 1005 hPa (hectopascals) at sea level.
a) Write an exponential equation that models the atmospheric pressure at height, h.
b) Find the external pressure for a jumbo jet cruising at a height of 20 000 m.
c) Find the pressure at the top of Mt Everest, 8 848 m above sea level.
d) Find the pressure at the bottom of a deep mine 2015 m below sea level.
e) Find the height at which the pressure is 10% of the pressure at sea level.
f) Find the height at which the pressure is 200 hPa.
2. The half-life of a detergent in a river is the time taken for half of it to biodegrade. A
particular detergent biodegrades by 20% every day.
a) Write an exponential equation that models the percentage of detergent
remaining after n days.
b) Find the percentage of detergent after 5 days.
c) Find the half-life of the detergent.
d) Find when the detergent has decayed to a level of 5% of the original amount.
3. A bacterial colony increases in size by 8% every hour from an initial size of 300 organisms.
a) Write an exponential equation that models the number of organisms.
b) Find the number of bacteria after 8 hours.
c) Find the number of bacteria after 2 days.
d) Find the time taken for the colony to reach a size of 20 000 bacteria.
4. The population of rabbits in an area increases by an average of 50% every month. How long would it take
two rabbits to overrun an area at a population of 3000 rabbits.
5. A radioactive element used in nuclear medicine decays so quickly that the quantity decreases by 40%
every hour. A 50 mg batch is made at a hospital at 9am Monday.
a) How much is left by 1pm?
b) How much is left by 9 am the next day?
c) At what time has the quantity reduced to 20 mg?
d) At what time does only 1 mg remain?
e) How much should be made on Monday morning to ensure that 10 mg remains on Tuesday morning?
6. A piece of very thin wire, 1 m long, is folded in half so that its length is 50cm. Calculate the length of the
bent wire after a total of 5 folds and find a rule for its length in centimetres after n folds.
7. A car decreases in value by 15% every year. How long does it take to reduce to only a quarter of its
original value?
8. A painting appreciates at 12% per annum. How long will it take to double
in value?
9. The amount of water in a leaky boat increases by 5% every hour as the
pressure at the leak increases. When 50 000 litres has entered the boat,
it will sink. The initial quantity of water in the boat was 300 litres. How
long will the boat take to sink?
10. A sample of carbon from an ancient midden has only 40% of the original amount of carbon-14 present.
The carbon-14 is known to have decayed at a rate of 1.2% per century from the time the midden was
used. How old is the midden?
11. A short-lived radioactive isotope decays in such a way that it loses 10% of its mass per day. Initially its
mass is 500 grams. How much of the material will remain after 20 days?
12. A biologist estimated that a colony of flying foxes at Ross Creek near Yeppoon consisted of about 200
animals. Two years later she found that the number had increased to 1000 flying foxes. Assuming that the
population increases at a rate which is proportional to the population, find the population ten years after
she made her first observations.
13. A bacteria population doubles its size every hour. If the growth of the population is proportional to the
population, find how long it will take for the population to increase by a factor of 100.
14. Radium decomposes at a rate which is proportional to the amount present at any time. For one such
isotope of radium, 10 percent decomposes in 400 years. What percentage of the original mass will remain
after 2000 years?
ANSWERS:
1. a) or b) 97.7 hPa c) 358.4 hPa d) 1271 hPa e) 19.76 km f)
13.85 km
2. a) or b) 32.77% of original amount c) 3.106 days d) 13.43 days
3. a) or b) 555 bacteria c) 12 063 bacteria d) 54.57 hour
4. 18.04 months
5. a) 6.48 mg b) 0.000237 c) 10:48 am d) 4:39 pm e) 2.11 kg
6. 3.1 cm, or
7. 8.53 yrs (approx 9 years)
8. 6.12 yrs (approx 7 yrs)
9. 104 hours 52 mins
10. 7590 yrs
11. 61 mg
12. 625 000 flying foxes ( , )
13. 3.32 hours
14. 59% remains after 2000 years