Final answer:
The exponential function that passes through the points (0,9) and (3,4608) is y = 9 * 8^x. This was determined by using the given points to find the values of a and b in the function y = ab^x.
Step-by-step explanation:
To write an exponential function that passes through the points (0,9) and (3,4608), we start with the general form y=abx. Using the given points, we can set up two equations based on their coordinates. The first point (0,9) leads to the equation 9 = a * b0, which simplifies to 9 = a since anything raised to the power of 0 is 1. The second point (3,4608) gives us 4608 = a * b3.
Now that we know a = 9, we can substitute it into the second equation to find the value of b: 4608 = 9 * b3. Dividing both sides by 9, we get 512 = b3, which leads to b = 8 after taking the cube root of 512. Thus, the exponential function we are looking for is y = 9 * 8x.