Exploring Exponential Growth: Determining Population

This lesson covers the determination of population using exponential models. It begins with an introduction to exponential expressions, explaining the roles of the base and exponent. The lesson then clarifies the difference between independent and dependent variables, using real-world examples. A detailed example of population growth is provided, illustrating how to calculate population over time using exponential functions. The lesson concludes with a demonstration of graphing and algebraic methods to estimate and calculate population at various time intervals.

Describe how to evaluate an exponential expression using a calculator.

What is the population of a town after 50 years if it started with 600 citizens and triples every 20 years?

How can you find the population after any number of years using the exponential model?