Question

Identify the initial amount a and the growth or decay factor b in the exponential function.

y = 0.01025x


A. a = 100, b = 1.025

B. a = 1, b = 0.01025

C. a = x, b = y

D. a = 0.01025, b = 1

Answer 1

D.
`a = 0.01025`,
`b = 1`

Explanation:

Mathematically speaking, an exponential function is a trascendental function of the form:

`y = a^(b\cdot x)` (1)

Where:

`a` - Initial amount.

`b` - Growth factor.

`x` - Independent variable.

`y` - Dependent variable.

Let
`y = 0.01025^(x)`, by direct comparison we find that values for initial amount and growth factor are, respectively:

`a = 0.01025`,
`b = 1`

Therefore, correct answer is D.