General Mathematics

Quarter 1 – Module 4
Exponential Functions
General Mathematics – Grade 11
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Quarter 1 – Module 4: Exponential Functions
Second Edition, 2021

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 11

General Mathematics
Quarter 1 – Module 4:
Exponential Functions

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 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) = 𝑏 𝑥 , 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, 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.
What I Know (Pre-Assessment)

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

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 𝑥 2 equal to 2𝑥 .
2. The expression (2 ∙ 4)6 is equal to 26 ∙ 26 .
3. In the expression 𝑎𝑥 , x is called the base.
1
4. The exponential form of is 3−1 .
3
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 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.

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.
 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 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , …, 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.

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 ) = 𝑏 𝑥
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
𝒇(𝒙) = 𝒃𝒙
where 𝑏 > 0, 𝑏 ≠ 1, and x is any real number.

In the function 𝑓 (𝑥 ) = 𝑏 𝑥 , 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 ) = 3 𝑥 𝑔(𝑥 ) = 10𝑥 ℎ(𝑥 ) = 2𝑥+1

The following are NOT exponential functions.

𝐹 (𝑥 ) = 𝑥 2 𝐺 (𝑥 ) = 1𝑥 𝐻 (𝑥 ) = 𝑋 𝑥
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 1 for all values of 𝑥 and the function would simply be the constant
function 𝑓 (𝑥 ) = 1.

The definition also requires 𝑏 to be positive so that the function can be defined for all real numbers
1
𝑥. For example, if 𝑏 = −9 and 𝑥 = 2, then evaluating the function would result in finding the
1
values of (−9)2 , 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.
What’s More

ACTIVITY 2

What is It
What I Can Do
Activity 3: WHAT FUNCTION AM I?
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
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 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.

What’s More

Activity 2: CLASSIFY ME!

Direction: In your answer sheet, determine whether each given is an exponential
function, exponential equation or exponential inequality or none of these.
Lesson
Solving Exponential Equations and Inequality
3

What I Need to Know

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to solve exponential equations
and inequality.

What’s In

What’s New

Activity 1: QUICK DRILL

Direction: Examine which of the following are Exponential functions.
What’s More

EXPRESS YOUR THOUGHTS

Direction: Answer the questions below. Write your answers on a separate sheet.
1. How do we solve equations with exponential expressions?
2. How do we check solutions of exponential equations?
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:
43−1 = 42 = 16.
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.
What’s More

SEAT WORK
Direction: In your answer sheet, provide a legible solution on the following items.
Lesson
Graphing Exponential Functions
4

What’s In

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
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.

2.

3.
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:
What’s More
Activity 2: THE TRANSFORMATIONS

Directions:
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

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