Introducing the Exponential Function

Abstract

The exponential function appears in a number of places in introductory physics, such as damped oscillations, radioactive populations, LR and RC circuits, isothermal and adiabatic processes for an ideal gas, and atmospheric pressure as a function of altitude. The purpose of this article is to introduce the exponential function, without using calculus, for the benefit of students in an algebra-based course. The key point is that the exponential is that special function y(x) whose slope at any point x is equal to the value y of the function at that same point.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Sep 01, 2006
Accession Number
ADA574893

Entities

People

  • Carl E. Mungan

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Adiabatic Processes
  • Barometric Pressure
  • Capacitors
  • Circuits
  • Education
  • Electronic Mail
  • Equations
  • Exponential Functions
  • First Order Circuits
  • Flight
  • Fluid Flow
  • Propellers
  • Radio Frequency
  • Students
  • Unidentified Flying Objects
  • United States Naval Academy

Fields of Study

  • Mathematics

Readers

  • Analytical Mechanics
  • Atmospheric Science / Meteorology, specifically Wind Wave Turbulence.
  • Plasma Physics.