Module

EXPONENTIAL FUNCTIONS
4

What I Need to Know

In addition to linear, quadratic, rational, and radical functions, there are exponential
functions. Exponential functions have the form 𝑓 (𝑥) = 𝑏𝑥, where 𝑏 > 0 and 𝑏 ≠ 1. Just as in any
exponential expression, b is called the base and x is called the exponent.
Exponential functions occur in various real world situations. Exponential functions are
used to model real-life situations such as population growth, radioactive decay, and carbon
dating, growth of an epidemic, loan interest rates, and investments.
After finishing the module, you should be able to answer the following questions:
a. How to distinguish between exponential function, exponential equation, and exponential
inequality?
b. How to represent exponential function through: table of values, graph, and equation?
c. How to find the domain and range of an exponential function?
d. How to graph exponential functions using its intercepts, zeroes and asymptotes?
e. How to solve problems related to exponential functions, equations, and inequalities?

In this module, you will examine the aforementioned questions when you study the following
lessons:

Lesson 1: Introduction to Exponential Functions

Lesson 2: Exponential Functions, Equations, and Inequalities
Lesson 3: Solving Exponential Equation and Inequality
Lesson 4: The Exponential Function and its Graph
Lesson 5: Graphing Transformations of Exponential Functions
Lesson 6: Representing Real-life Situations Using Exponential Functions

Find out what you already know about this module by taking the pre-test.

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What I Know (Pre-Assessment)

Direction: Write the letter that corresponds to the best answer on your answer sheet.

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 How was your performance in the pre-assessment? Were you able to answer all the problems? Did
you find difficulties in answering them? Are there questions familiar to you?

In this module, you will have the following targets:

• Demonstrate understanding on the key concepts of exponential functions.

• Formulate and solve real-life problems involving exponential functions with precision
and accuracy.

Lesson Introduction to Exponential Functions

1

What I Need to Know

At the end of the lesson, the learners should be able to:
Understand the key concepts of exponential functions and communicate mathematics
through writing, modeling, and visualizing, using precise mathematical language and symbolic
notation.

What’s In

The best thing about exponential functions is that they are so useful in real world
situations. Exponential functions are used to model populations, help coroners determine time of
death, compute investments, as well as many other applications. Moreover, exponential function
requires your good knowledge in mathematics especially on graphing ordered pairs, basic
properties of exponents, and be able to recognize function notation.
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 REVIEW:

Review Activity
ENTRY CARD

Description: This activity will enable you to recall laws of exponents.

Directions: Tell whether each statement is TRUE or FALSE. Mark the box ( ✓) if the statement is true,
otherwise mark the box (X) if the statement is false.

Statements TRUE FALSE

1. There is an integer x that will make 𝑥2 equal to 2𝑥.
2.
3. In the expression 𝑎𝑥, x is called the base.
4. The exponential form of .
5. Any real number raise to the power of 0 is always
equal to 0.

What’s New

News stories spread rapidly in modern society. With broadcasts over

televisions and radios, millions of people hear about important events within hours. In many
problems, key variables are related to linear models. But, there are many other important
situations in which variables are related to non-linear patterns. Examples include spread of

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 diseases, change in population, temperatures, bank savings, and radioactivity. These real-life
situations can be described and expressed by exponential functions.

ACTIVITY 1

Some organizations need to spread accurate information to as many people in the shortest time possible.
One way to do this efficiently is by a cell phone texting tree.

The Exponent National High School with 1,500 populations, including the teaching and non
teaching staff, is located in one of the flooded areas of the metropolis. During heavy rains,
everyone wants to know if classes are suspended. The school principal makes a decision and
sends a text message to the assistant principal and to the prefect of activities. These two
members of the community each send the text message to two other members of the community,
and so on.

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 Grade 7
Coordinator
Assistant
Principal
Grade 8
Coordinator

Principal

Grade 9
Coordinator

Prefect of
Activities

Grade 10
Coordinator

What Is It

Directions:
Answer the following questions. Write your answers on a separate sheet.

1. What do the smart phones of this tree diagram represent? What do the segments
represent?

2. Based on the tree diagram, the number of persons receiving the message is increasing.

a) Complete the table below to show the number of persons receiving the message
at a given stage. Then, make a graph.

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 Stage of Members
Texting Tree Informed (𝑥, 𝑦)
(𝑥) (𝑦)
0 1 (0, 1)
1 2 (1, 2)
2 4 (2, 4)
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11

b) Describe how the number of persons receiving the messages increases as the
texting stage progresses. Use the graph to validate your answer.

c) What is the required number of texting stages needed to form 1,500 persons?

The pattern of change in the smart phone tree given in the Activity 1 can be modelled using rules
involving exponents. The number of members informed: 1, 2, 4, 16, 32… can be expressed
exponentially as respectively.

The table below shows a number of members of the community who were informed
whether the class is cancelled or not. It will take 9 stages to inform 1,000 people, because
after the 9th stage: 1+2+4+8+16+32+64+128+256+512=1, 023 people already knew the
decision.

Stage of Texting Tree 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

No. of Members Informed 1 2 4 8 16 32 64 128 256 512 1,024 2,048

An equation can be formed and can be used to calculate the number of members that will
be informed without starting from the stage. If we let y represent the number of families
informed and x the stages in the texting tree, our equation will be
𝑦 =2𝑥
where x is the independent variable and y is the dependent variable. Note that in the equation formed, the
variable x appears as an exponent. We call this equation an exponential equation.
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In general, the situation describe in the smart phone tree can be modelled by a type of function
different from the ones you have studied so far. The key variables in each situation are often
expressed by a function rule having the form
𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑏𝑥
where b is the constant determined by the situation being modelled. A function of this form is
called exponential function because the input variable x used as an exponent in determining the
value of the output variable.

Having defined rational exponents, we know that the expression 2𝑥 is defined for all rational
numbers. Although the details are beyond the details of this module, the expression 2𝑥 can also
be defined for any irrational number. Thus, the function 𝑓(𝑥) = 2𝑥 id defined for all real
numbers.

DEFINITION
An exponential function can be written as
(𝒙)=𝒃
𝒇𝒙 where 𝑏
>0, 𝑏 ≠1, and x is any real number.

In the function 𝑓(𝑥)=𝑏𝑥, b is a constant called the base and x is an independent variable called the
exponent.

Here are some examples of exponential functions.

𝑓(𝑥)=3𝑥 𝑔(𝑥)=10𝑥 𝑕(𝑥) =2𝑥+1

The following are NOT exponential functions.

(𝑥)=𝑥2 𝐺(𝑥)=1𝑥 𝐻(𝑥)=𝑋𝑥
Variable is the base The base of an exponential Both the base and the
And not the exponent. function must be a positive Exponent are variables.
Constant other than 1.

The two restrictions on b in the definition are important. First, the definition does not include 𝑏 =
1 because 1𝑥 has a value of for all values of and the function would simply be the constant
function 𝑓 (𝑥) = 1.

The definition also requires to be positive so that the function can be defined for all real
numbers . For example, if 𝑏 = −9 and , then evaluating the function would result in
finding the values of , which is not a real number.

Thus, the domain of an exponential function is the set of all real numbers and the range is the set of
all positive real numbers.

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What’s more

ACTIVITY 2

What is It

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What I Can Do
Activity 3: WHAT FUNCTION AM I?

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 What I Have Learned

Math Journal

In this lesson, I have learned that …

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Lesson
Exponential Functions, Equations & Inequalities
2

What I Need to Know

At the end of this lesson, you will be able to distinguish among exponential

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 functions, exponential equations, and exponential inequalities.

What’s in

An Exponential Equation Or Inequality Can Be Solved For All x Values That Satisfy The
Equation or inequality. An exponential is not ‘solved’ rather, it expresses the relationship
between two variables (such as x and y), and can be represented by a table of values or a graph.

What’s New

Activity 1: IDEA WAVE

Description: This activity will enable you to distinguish among

Exponential functions, exponential equations, and exponential
inequalities.
Directions: In your answer sheet, write your ideas about how A, B, and C are
similar, and how they are different.

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 What’s more

Activity 2: CLASSIFY ME!

Direction: In your answer sheet, determine whether each given is an exponential
Function, Exponential equateion Or Exponential inequality or none of these.

Math Journal

In this lesson, I have learned that …

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Lesson
Solving Exponential Equations and Inequality
3

What I Need
to Know

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 At the end of the lesson, you will be able to solve exponential equations
EXPRESS YOUR THOUGHTS
Direction: Answer the questions below. Write your answers on a separate sheet.
1. How do we solve equations with exponential expressions?

And inequality.

What’s In

What’s New

Activity 1: QUICK DRILL

Direction: Examine which of the following are Exponential functions.

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 3. What are the difficulties you have encountered? Explain?

What is It

I. SOLVING EXPONENTIAL EQUATIONS

You can verify that 𝑥 = 3 is a solution by substituting it back to the original equation:
2. How do we check solutions of exponential equations?
43−1 = 42 = 16.

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STUDENT TIP:
You should be careful in solving exponential inequalities such as 𝑏𝑚 < 𝑏𝑛. The resulting direction
of the inequality (𝑚 < 𝑛 𝑜𝑟 𝑚 > 𝑛) is based on whether the base b is greater than 1 or less than
1.

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 What’s more

SEAT WORK

Direction: In your answer sheet, provide a legible solution on the following items.

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 Math Journal

In this lesson, I have learned that …

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Lesson
Graphing Exponential Functions
4

What’s in

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At the end of the lesson, the learner is able to represent an exponential function
through its table of values, graph, and equation, find the domain, range, intercepts,
zeroes, and asymptotes of an exponential function, and graph exponential
Functions.

What’s New?

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What’s More
Activity 1: SKETCH IT OUT!
Description: This activity will enable you to come up with a generalization about the properties of
an exponential function.
Directions: Graph the exponential function and provide what is being asked on each item.

1.

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2.

Math Journal

In this lesson, I have learned that …

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 Lesson Graphing Transformations of
5 Exponential Functions

What’s in

At the end of the lesson, the learner is able to represent a transformation of an exponential
function through its table of values, graph, and equation, and graph
Transformations of exponential functions.

What’s New?
Activity 1: COLLABORATIVE LEARNING

Direction: Each group will be assigned to one of the functions below.

In a group consists of five members, the group should do the following:

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What’s More
Activity 2: THE TRANSFORMATIONS

Directions:

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 Math Journal

In this lesson, I have learned that …

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 Lesson Representing Real-life Situations Using
6 Exponential Functions
What’s in?
At the end of the lesson, the learner is able to represent Real-Life situations using

Exponential functions.

What’s New?

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Activity 1: LEARNING BY DOING
Direction: Read carefully and follow the instructions given on this activity. Then,
answer the following questions in a separate paper.

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 What’s more
ACTIVITY 2: Problem Set
Directions: Solve what is asked in each item. Write your complete solutions and
answers in a 1 whole sheet of paper.

2.

3.

4
.

5.

What I Can Do
MATH JOURNAL

In this lesson, I have learned that …

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Assessment (Post-test)
Direction: Write the letter that corresponds to the best answer on your answer sheet.

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References

1. Senior High School General Mathematics Teaching Guide

by Commission on Higher Education (2016) pages 105-
130

2. General Mathematics Textbook by Orlando A. Oronce

REX Bookstore pages 107-171

3. https://www.slideshare.net/dionesioable/module1-exponential-
functions

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