exponential function

American  

noun

Mathematics.

1. the function y = ex .

2. any function of the form y = bax , where a and b are positive constants.

3. any function in which a variable appears as an exponent and may also appear as a base, as y = x 2x .

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Etymology

Origin of exponential function

First recorded in 1890–95

Example Sentences

At wide-open throttle, the raunchiness doesn’t come in wild quanta but in one smoothly linear, incredibly steep exponential function, with no interval for tactility and feedback.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 30, 2025

Graph the exponential function by making a table.

From Textbooks • Sep. 23, 2020

Now we will see that many characteristics of the logarithm function are simply ’mirror images’ of the characteristics of the corresponding exponential function.

From Textbooks • May 6, 2020

This means an exponential function does have an inverse.

From Textbooks • May 6, 2020

The time-binding energies as well as “life” follow the same type of exponential function.

From Manhood of Humanity. by Korzybski, Alfred