Math Insight

Overview of: Doubling time and half-life of exponential growth and decay

The solution of a linear dynamical system is an exponential function in time, which means the state variable will grow or decay exponentially. In this case, we can calculate how long it will take the state variable to double (doubling time) or shrink in half (half-life). In fact, we can calculate how long it would take for the state variable to grow or shrink by any factor.

Calculating the doubling time or half life requires the use of logarithms, so make sure you remember your basic logarithm rules.

Points and due date summary

Total points: 3

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