Chapter 6

Exponential
and
Logarithmic
Functions

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 Section 6.8
Exponential Growth and
Decay Models; Newton’s
Law; Logistic Growth and
Decay Models

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Objectives
• Model Populations That Obey the Law of
Uninhibited Growth
• Model Populations That Obey the Law of
Uninhibited Decay
• Use Newton’s Law of Cooling
• Use Logistic Models

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Law of Uninhibited Growth or Decay
(1 of 2)

Many natural phenomena follow the law that an amount

A varies with time t according to the function

A(t) = A0ekt (1)

Here A0 is the original amount (t = 0) and k ≠ 0 is a
constant. If k > 0, then equation (1) states that the
amount A is increasing over time; if k < 0, the amount A
is decreasing over time. In either case, when an
amount A varies over time according to equation (1), it
is said to follow the exponential law, or the law of
uninhibited growth (k > 0) or decay (k < 0).
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Law of Uninhibited Growth or Decay
(2 of 2)

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Uninhibited Growth of Cells

A model that gives the number N of cells in a

culture after a time t has passed (in the early
stages of growth) is
N(t) = N0ekt k > 0 (2)
where N0 is the initial number of cells and k is a
positive constant that represents the growth rate
of the cells.

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Example 1: Bacterial Growth (1 of 4)

A colony of bacteria that grows according to the law

of uninhibited growth is modeled by the function
N(t) = 90e0.06t, where N is measured in grams and t is
measured in days.
a) Determine the initial amount of bacteria.
b) What is the growth rate of the bacteria?
c) What is the population after 7 days?
d) How long will it take for the population to reach
250 grams?
e) What is the doubling time for the population?
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Example 1: Bacterial Growth (2 of 4)

a) The initial amount of bacteria, N0, is obtained

when t = 0, so
N0 = N(0) = 90e0.06(0) = 90 grams
b) Compare N(t) = 90e0.06t to N(t) = N0ekt.
The value of k, 0.06, indicates a growth rate of 6.0%.
c) The population after 7 days is
N(7) = 90e0.06(7) = 136.98 grams.

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Example 1: Bacterial Growth (3 of 4)

d) To find how long it takes for the population to reach

250 grams, solve the equation N(t) = 250.
90e0.06t = 250
0.06 t 250 Divide both sides of the
e 
90 equation by 90.
 250 
0.06t ln   Rewrite as a logarithm.
 90 
 250 
ln  
 90  Divide both sides of the
t equation by 0.06.
0.06
t 17.0 days
The population reaches 250 grams in about 17.0 days.
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Example 1: Bacterial Growth (4 of 4)

e) The population doubles when N(t) = 180 grams,

so the doubling time is found by solving the
equation 180 = 90e0.06t for t.
180 = 90e0.06t
2 = e0.06t Divide both sides of the equation by 90.
ln 2 = 0.06t Rewrite as a logarithm.
ln 2
t Divide both sides of the equation by 0.06.
0.06
t 11.55 days
The population doubles approximately every
11.55 days.
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Example 2: Bacterial Growth (1 of 5)
A colony of bacteria increases according to the law
of uninhibited growth.
a) If N is the number of cells and t is the time in
hours, express N as a function of t.
b) If the number of bacteria doubles in 5 hours, find
the function that gives the number of cells in the
culture.
c) How long will it take for the size of the colony to
triple?
d) How long will it take for the population to double
a second time (that is, increase four times)?
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Example 2: Bacterial Growth (2 of 5)

a) Using the formula for uninhibited growth of cells,

the number N of cells at time t is
kt
N(t) = N0e
where N0 is the initial number of bacteria present
and k is a positive number.

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Example 2: Bacterial Growth (3 of 5)

b) To find the growth rate k, note that the number of

cells doubles in 5 hours, so N(5) = 2N0
Since N(5) = N0ek⋅5,
N0e5k = 2N0
e5k = 2
5k = ln 2
1
k  ln 2 0.13863
5
The function that models this growth process is,
therefore N(t) = N0e0.13863k
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Example 2: Bacterial Growth (4 of 5)

c) The time t needed for the size of the colony to

triple requires that N = 3N0. Substitute 3N0 for N to
get
3N0 = N0e0.13863k
3 = e0.13863k
0.13863k = ln 3
ln 3
t 7.925 hours
0.13863

It will take about 7.925 hours, or 7 hours and 56

minutes, for the size of the colony to triple.
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Example 2: Bacterial Growth (5 of 5)

d) If the population doubles in 5 hours, it will double

a second time in 5 more hours, for a total time of 10
hours.

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Uninhibited Radioactive Decay

The amount A of a radioactive material present

at time t is given by
kt
A(t) = A0e k < 0 (3)
where A0 is the original amount of radioactive
material and k is a negative number that
represents the rate of decay.

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Example 3: Estimating the Age of
Ancient Tools (1 of 4)
Traces of burned wood along with ancient stone
tools in an archeological dig were found to contain
approximately 2.33% of the original amount of
carbon-14. If the half-life of carbon-14 is 5730 years,
approximately when was the tree cut and burned?

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Example 3: Estimating the Age of
Ancient Tools (2 of 4)
Using the formula for uninhibited radioactive decay,
the amount of carbon-14 present at time t is
A(t) = A0ekt
where A0 is the original amount of carbon-14
present and k is a negative number.
We first seek the number k. To find it, we use the
fact that after 5730 years half of the original amount
of carbon-14 remains, so
1
A 5730   A0 .
2
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Example 3: Estimating the Age of
Ancient Tools (3 of 4)
Then
1 k 5730 
 0 0
A  A e
2
1
e5730 k
2
1
5730k ln
2
1 1
k ln  0.000120968
5730 2
The formula therefore becomes A(t) = A0e–0.000120968t
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Example 3: Estimating the Age of
Ancient Tools (4 of 4)
If the amount A of carbon-14 now present is 2.33%
of the original amount, it follows that
 0.000120968t
0.0233 A0  A0e
 0.000120968t
0.0233 e
 0.000120968t ln 0.0233
ln 0.0233
t 31,077 years
 0.000120968
The tree was cut and burned about 31,077 years
ago.
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Newton’s Law of Cooling

The temperature u of a heated object at a given

time t can be modeled by the following function:
u(t) = T + (u0 – T)ekt k<0 (4)
where T is the constant temperature of the
surrounding medium, u0 is the initial temperature
of the heated object, and k is a negative
constant.

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Example 4: Using Newton’s Law of
Cooling (1 of 6)
An object is heated to 90°C (degrees Celsius) and
is then allowed to cool in a room whose air
temperature is 20°C.
a) If the temperature of the object is 75°C after 5
minutes, when will its temperature be 50°C?
b) Determine the elapsed time before the
temperature of the object is 35°C.
c) What do you notice about the temperature as
time passes?

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Example 4: Using Newton’s Law of
Cooling (2 of 6)
a) Using the formula for Newton’s Law of Cooling,
with T = 20 and u0 = 90, the temperature (in degrees
Celsius) of the object at time t (in minutes) is
kt kt
u(t) = 20 + (90 – 20)e = 20 + 70e
where k is a negative constant. To find k, use the
fact that u = 75 when t = 5.

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Example 4: Using Newton’s Law of
Cooling (3 of 6)
k 5 
75 20  70e
5k
55 70e
5k 55
e 
70
1 55
k  ln  0.0482
5 70
The formula therefore becomes
u(t) = 20 + 70e–0.0482t

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Example 4: Using Newton’s Law of
Cooling (4 of 6)
To find t when u = 50°C, solve the equation
50 20  70e  0.0482t
 0.0482 t
30 70e
 0.0482 t 30
e 
70
3
 0.0482t ln
73
ln
t 7 17.6 minutes
 0.0482
The temperature of the object will be 50°C after
about 17.6 minutes, or 17 minutes and 36 seconds.
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Example 4: Using Newton’s Law of
Cooling (5 of 6)
b) To find t when u = 35°C, solve the equation
35 20  70e  0.0482t
15 70e  0.0482t
 0.0482 t 15
e 
70
15
 0.0482t ln
70
15
ln
t 70 32.0 minutes
 0.0482
The temperature of the object will be 35°C after
about 32 minutes.
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Example 4: Using Newton’s Law of
Cooling (6 of 6)
c) As t increases, the exponent –0.0482t becomes
unbounded in the negative direction. As a result,
the value of e –0.0482t approaches zero, so the value
of u, the temperature of the object, approaches
20°C, the air temperature of the room.

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Logistic Model

In a logistic model, the population P after time t

is given by the function
c
P (t ) 
1  ae  bt
where a, b, and c are constants with a > 0 and
c > 0. The model is a growth model if b > 0; the
model is a decay model if b < 0.

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Logistic Growth and Decay

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Properties of the Logistic Model (1 of 2)

• The domain is the set of all real numbers.

The range is the interval (0, c) where c is the
carrying capacity.
• There are no x-intercepts; the y-intercept is
P(0).
• There are two horizontal asymptotes: y = 0
and y = c.
• P(t) is an increasing function if b > 0 and a
decreasing function if b < 0.
• There is an inflection point where P(t)
equals ½ of the carrying capacity.
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Properties of the Logistic Model (2 of 2)

• The inflection point is the point on the graph

where the graph changes from being
concave up to being concave down for
growth functions, and the point where the
graph changes from being concave down to
being concave up for decay functions.
• The graph is smooth and continuous, with no
corners or gaps.

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Example 5: Population of Yeast (1 of 5)

The logistic growth model

P (t )  750
1  74e  0.526t
Represents the population of yeast (in grams) after t hours.
a) State the carrying capacity and the growth rate.
b) Determine the initial population.
c) What is the population after 5 hours?
d) How long does it take for the population to reach 250?
e) Use a graphing utility to determine how long it takes for
the population to reach one-half of the carrying capacity.

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Example 5: Population of Yeast (2 of 5)

a) As t →∞, e–0.526t→0 and P (t )  750 .

1
The carrying capacity is 750g of yeast. The growth
rate is |b| = |0.526| = 52.6% per hour.
b) To find the initial amount of yeast, evaluate P(0).
P (0)  750  750 10
1  74e  0.526(0) 1  74
So, initially there was 10g of yeast.

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Example 5: Population of Yeast (3 of 5)

c) To find the amount of yeast after 5 hours,

evaluate P(5).
P (5)  750 118g
 0.526(5)
1  74e
After 5 hours, there is approximately 118g of yeast.

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Example 5: Population of Yeast (4 of 5)

d) To determine when the population of yeast will

be 250, solve the equation P(t) = 250.
750 250
 0.526 t
1  74e
750 250(1  74e  0.526t )
 0.526 t
3 1  74e
2 74e  0.526 t ln 1  0.526t
37  
1 e  0.526t t 6.86 hours
37
It will take approximately 6.86 hours (6 hours 52
minutes) for the population to reach 250g.
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Example 5: Population of Yeast (5 of 5)

e) One-half of the carrying capacity is 375g. Solve

P(t) = 375 by graphing
Y1  750 and Y2 375
 0.526 x
1  74e
and using INTERSECT. 800

The number of grams of

yeast will reach one-half
of the carrying capacity in
about 8.18 hours or 20

8 hours and 11 minutes.

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Example 6: Wood Products (1 of 5)

The EFISCEN wood product model classifies wood

products according to their life-span. There are four
classifications: short (1 year), medium short
(4 years), medium long (16 years), and long
(50 years). Based on data obtained from the
European Forest Institute, the percentage of
remaining wood products after t years for wood
products with long life-spans (such as those used in
the building industry) is given by
100.3952
P (t ) 
1  0.0316e0.0581t
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Example 6: Wood Products (2 of 5)

a) What is the decay rate?

b) What is the percentage of remaining wood
products after 15 years?
c) How long does it take for the percentage of
remaining wood products to reach 40%?
d) Explain why the numerator given in the model is
reasonable.

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Example 6: Wood Products (3 of 5)

a) The decay rate is |b| = |–0.0581| = 5.81%.

b) Evaluate P(15).
100.3952
P (15)  0.0581(15) 93.34%
1  0.0316e
So 93.34% of long-life-span wood products remain
after 15 years.

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Example 6: Wood Products (4 of 5)

c) Solve the equation P(t) = 40.

100.3952
0.0581t
40
1  0.0316e
100.3952 40(1  0.0316e0.0581t )
2.5099 1  0.0316e0.0581t
1.5099 0.0316e0.0581t
0.0581t
47.7816 e
ln(47.7816) 0.0581t
t 66.6 years
It will take approximately 66.6 years for the percentage
of long-life-span wood products remaining to reach
40%.
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Example 6: Wood Products (5 of 5)

d) The numerator of 100.3952 is reasonable

because the maximum percentage of wood
products remaining that is possible is 100%.

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