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

The exponential function whose base is e, is called the natural exponential function.

From Textbooks • Sep. 23, 2020

Recall that an exponential function is any equation written in the form such that and are positive numbers and Any positive number can be written as for some value of .

From Textbooks • Sep. 23, 2020

We will now look at an exponential function with an irrational number as the base.

From Textbooks • May 6, 2020

We have found that man is an exponential function where time enters as an exponent.

From Manhood of Humanity. by Korzybski, Alfred