Exponential Decay
Exponential Decay
Example 1
Continued
Step 4. Answer the first question.
Since there are 7 days in a week, use 7 as the exponent.
At the end of the week, she will have 1.25 pieces of candy left.
Step 5. Graph the candy problem function. Use the graph to answer the final question.
Will Nadia's candy last forever? Notice that the graph never really gets to zero, this is due to the asymptotic behavior of exponentials discussed in previous lessons. Theoretically there will always be some candy left, but she will be eating very tiny fractions of one piece of candy every day after the first week.