Unit 5 Written Assignment: Exponential and Logarithmic Functions

Aye Thandar Kyaw

University of the People
July 21, 2026

Task 1: Exponential and Logarithmic Functions

i. Definitions, Relationship, Key Factors, Domain and Range
An exponential function has the general form
f(x) = a·bx
where a is the initial value (the value of the function when x = 0), b is the base or growth/decay factor (b
> 0, b ≠ 1), and x is the independent variable that appears in the exponent (Abramson, 2023, Section
6.1). When b > 1 the function models growth; when 0 < b < 1 it models decay.
A logarithmic function has the general form
g(x) = logb(x)
where b is the base (b > 0, b ≠ 1) and x is the argument. By definition, y = logb(x) means the same thing
as by = x — that is, a logarithm is the exponent to which the base must be raised to produce x
(Abramson, 2023, Section 6.3).
Relationship: exponential and logarithmic functions are inverses of each other. If f(x) = b x, then f-1(x) =
logb(x). Composing the two undoes the operation: logb(bx) = x, and blogb(x) = x. Graphically, the graph of a
logarithmic function is the reflection of its corresponding exponential function across the line y = x.
Domain and range: because bx is defined for every real exponent and always produces a positive output,
the exponential function f(x) = a·bx has domain (−∞, ∞) and range (0, ∞) when a > 0. Because logarithms
are only defined for positive arguments, the logarithmic function g(x) = logb(x) has domain (0, ∞) and
range (−∞, ∞) — the domain and range of a function and its inverse are always swapped (Abramson,
2023, Section 6.3).

ii. Exponential vs. Logarithmic vs. Power Functions

The three families differ in where the variable x is located. In an exponential function (e.g., f(x) = 2x), x is
in the exponent and the base is constant. In a logarithmic function (e.g., g(x) = log2(x)), x is the argument
of the log. In a power function (e.g., h(x) = x2), x is the base and the exponent is constant.
 Figure 1. f(x) = 2x (exponential), g(x) = log2(x) (logarithmic), and h(x) = x2 (power)

Key features
● Exponential, f(x) = 2x: domain (−∞, ∞), range (0, ∞); y-intercept (0, 1); no x-intercept; horizontal
asymptote y = 0 as x → −∞; grows multiplicatively — output doubles for every unit increase in x.
● Logarithmic, g(x) = log2(x): domain (0, ∞), range (−∞, ∞); x-intercept (1, 0); no y-intercept;
vertical asymptote x = 0; increases very slowly and is concave down — it takes larger and larger
inputs to gain the same output increase.
● Power, h(x) = x2: domain (−∞, ∞), range [0, ∞); vertex/intercept at (0, 0); no asymptotes;
symmetric about the y-axis (even function), decreasing then increasing.

iii. Recognizing Exponential Growth

A function shows exponential growth when it can be written as y = a·bx (or y = a(1 + r)t in an applied
context) with a > 0 and a growth factor b > 1 (equivalently a growth rate r > 0). The defining behavior is a
constant percentage change per unit increase in x: each time x increases by 1, the output is multiplied by
the same factor b, rather than increased by the same amount, as in linear growth. Data that reflects
exponential growth will show a constant ratio between consecutive outputs and a graph that is always
increasing and concave up (curving upward), never leveling off.

iv. Which Grows Faster: Exponential or Logarithmic?

The exponential function grows faster. A logarithmic function increases by the same amount only when
x is multiplied by a fixed factor, so its rate of increase continually shrinks. An exponential function
increases by a fixed factor every time x grows by a fixed amount, so its rate of increase continually
grows. As x → ∞, an exponential function eventually outpaces not only any logarithmic function but any
polynomial or power function as well — this is sometimes summarized by saying exponential growth
“dominates” logarithmic (and polynomial) growth in the long run (Abramson, 2023, Section 6.7).
 Figure 2. f(x) = 2x climbs increasingly steeply, while g(x) = log2(x) flattens out.

v. Observations of Growth Patterns and Special Points

Reading the graphs in Figures 1 and 2:
● Exponential f(x) = 2x: always increasing, concave up, and never crosses the x-axis — it only
approaches the asymptote y = 0 as x becomes very negative. Past x = 0 it accelerates sharply.
● Logarithmic g(x) = log2(x): always increasing but concave down. It rises quickly for small x just
above 0 (near its vertical asymptote), then flattens out and increases only gradually for large x.
● Power h(x) = x2: not monotonic — it decreases for x < 0 and increases for x > 0, meeting a
minimum at the origin. Unlike the exponential and logarithmic graphs, it has no asymptote in
either direction.
Comparing the three, the power and exponential functions both grow without bound, but the
exponential function's rate of growth keeps increasing while the power function's relative rate of growth
is fixed by its exponent; the logarithmic function is the only one of the three that is bounded in neither
direction yet still grows more slowly than either, confirming the ordering discussed in part iv.

Task 2: Properties of Logarithms

1. Prove that log6(216x / 1296x) = −x
Rewrite 216 and 1296 as powers of 6: 216 = 63 and 1296 = 64.
log6(216x / 1296x) = log6((63)x / (64)x)
Using the power rule (am)n = amn:
= log6(63x / 64x)
Using the quotient rule for exponents with the same base, am / an = am−n:
= log6(63x−4x) = log6(6−x)
Finally, using the identity logb(bk) = k:
= −x ✓
Which is what was to be proven.

2. Prove that log(x+1)2 + log(2x−1)3 − log(x)2 − log(2x−1)4 + 6log(x+1) = log[(x+1)8 /

(x2(2x−1))]
Apply the power rule, log(an) = n·log(a), to each term:
2log(x+1) + 3log(2x−1) − 2log(x) − 4log(2x−1) + 6log(x+1)
Group like terms (same base inside the logarithm):
● (x + 1) terms: 2log(x+1) + 6log(x+1) = 8log(x+1)
● (2x − 1) terms: 3log(2x−1) − 4log(2x−1) = −log(2x−1)
● x terms: − 2log(x)
So the expression simplifies to:
8log(x+1) − log(2x−1) − 2log(x)
Rewrite the coefficients back into exponents using the power rule in reverse:
= log[(x+1)8] − log(2x−1) − log(x2)
Apply the quotient rule, log(A) − log(B) = log(A/B), twice to combine everything into a single logarithm:
= log[ (x+1)8 / ( x2(2x−1) ) ] ✓
Which matches the right-hand side, so the identity is proven.

3. Solve for x: 10e2x−3 = 15e5x−7

Divide both sides by 10e2x−3 (or by 15e5x−7) to collect the exponentials on one side:
10/15 = e5x−7 / e2x−3
Using the quotient rule for exponents, the right side simplifies to e(5x−7)−(2x−3) = e3x−4:
2/3 = e3x−4
()
Take the natural log of both sides (ln undoes e ):
ln(2/3) = 3x − 4
Solve for x:
x = (4 + ln(2/3)) / 3
Evaluating numerically, ln(2/3) ≈ −0.4055, so:
x = (4 − 0.4055) / 3 ≈ 1.198

Task 3: Modeling Cancer Cell Growth

A laboratory recorded 232.26 units of cancer cells in 2018, growing at a constant rate of 2% per year
with medication.

i. Table of Yearly Cell Counts (2018–2023)

Year Cancer Cell Units, N(t)
2018 232.26
2019 236.91
2020 241.64
2021 246.48
2022 251.41
2023 256.43

Each year's value was found by multiplying the previous year's value by 1.02 (a 2% increase), e.g., 232.26
× 1.02 = 236.91 for 2019, 236.91 × 1.02 ≈ 241.64 for 2020, and so on.

ii. Identifying the Mathematical Function

The table shows a constant multiplicative (not additive) increase from one year to the next — each value
is 1.02 times the value before it — which is the signature of exponential growth. The pattern is modeled
by:
N(t) = N0(1 + r)t = 232.26(1.02)t
where N0 = 232.26 is the initial cell count in 2018 (t = 0), r = 0.02 is the annual growth rate (2%), 1 + r =
1.02 is the growth factor, and t is the number of years elapsed since 2018.

iii. Projecting 10 Years Ahead (Year 2028)

Ten years after 2018 is 2028, so t = 10:
 N(10) = 232.26(1.02)10
(1.02)10 ≈ 1.21899
N(10) ≈ 232.26 × 1.21899 ≈ 283.12 units
If the 2% annual growth rate continues, the model projects approximately 283.12 units of cancer cells in
the animal by 2028.

iv. Graph of the Growth Pattern

Figure 3. Cancer cell growth, N(t) = 232.26(1.02)t, from 2018 through the projected 2028 value (axes gridlines at
100-unit intervals).

The graph confirms the exponential shape: the curve is increasing and concave up, rising only gradually
between 2018 and 2023 because the growth rate (2%) is small, but the same constant-ratio process is
what eventually drives it to about 283 units by 2028.
References
Abramson, J. (2023). Algebra and trigonometry (2nd ed.). OpenStax.
[Link]
Yoshiwara, K. (2020). Modeling, functions, and graphs. American Institute of Mathematics.
[Link]