Exponential Functions Card Sort
Note: Print copies of Page 2 as a recording sheet.
Each group should fill in the information for each
lettered situation.
Print pages 3 – 58 after setting the printer for Portrait, 6
Slides to a Page to create group cards.
The powerpoint has the cards in the correct order (key).
Cut each set apart and shuffle. Note that there are 2
extra equation cards that are not correct for any of the
situations.
The 9 sets of cards should be matched to show:
• A real-world situation
• A label of “growth” or “decay”
• The equation for the situation
• The graph of the situation
• The table of values for the graph
• The solution to the situation
Situation
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
Exponential
Growth or
Decay?
Equation
y-intercept
and asymptote
3 pairs from the
table
Solution
Situation A
Find a bank account
balance if the account
starts with $100, has an
annual rate of 4%, and
the money is left in the
account for 12 years.
Exponential
Growth
x
y=100(1.04)
160.10
Situation B
In 1985, there were 285 cell
phone subscribers in the small
town of Centerville. The
number of subscribers
increased by 75% per year
after 1985. How many cell
phone subscribers were in
Centerville in 1994?
Exponential
Growth
x
y=285(1.75)
43872
Situation C
Bacteria can multiply at an
alarming rate when each
bacteria splits into two new
cells, thus doubling. If we
start with only one bacteria
which can double every hour,
how many bacteria will we
have by the end of one day?
Exponential
Growth
x
y=1(2)
16777216
Situation D
Each year the local country
club sponsors a tennis
tournament. Play starts with
128 participants. During each
round, half of the players are
eliminated. How many players
remain after 5 rounds?
Exponential
Decay
x
y=128(1/2)
Situation E
You have inherited land that
was purchased for $30,000 in
1960. The value of the land
increased by approximately
5% per year. What is the
approximate value of the land
in the year 2011?
Exponential
Growth
x
y=30000(1.05)
361223.09
Situation F
You drink a beverage with
120 mg of caffeine. Each
hour, the caffeine in your
system decreases by about
12%. How long until you
have 10 mg of caffeine left
in your system?
Exponential
Decay
x
y=120(0.88)
19.44
Situation G
An adult takes 400 mg of
ibuprofen. Each hour, the
amount of ibuprofen in the
person’s system decreases by
about 29%. About how many
grams of ibuprofen are left in
the system after 6 hours?
Exponential
Decay
x
y=400(0.71)
51.24
Situation H
You buy a new computer
for $2100. The value of the
computer decreases by
50% annually. In how many
years will the computer
have a value of $600?
Exponential
Decay
x
y=2100(0.50)
1.81
Situation I
You deposit $1500 in an
account that pays 5%
interest yearly. How much
money do you have in the
account after 6 years?
Exponential
Growth
x
y=1500(1.05)
2010.10
x
y=120(1.12)
x
y=30000(.05)