About the lecture

In this mini-lecture, we continue our discussion of Topic A12 by introducing exponential graphs. As we move through this mini-lecture, we consider: (i) making x the exponent in a function, such as in y = 2^x; (ii) values of y = 2^x for integer values of x, and the rule for remembering these values; (iii) a table of values satisfying y = 2^x and the corresponding graph; (iv) the difference between the graphs y = 2^x and y = 3^x; (v) a table of values satisfying y = (½)^x and the corresponding graph; (vi) the different characteristics of exponential graphs of the form y = k^x depending on whether k > 1 or k < 1.

About the lecturer

Keith Ball is a Professor of Mathematics and the University of Warwick. His research interests are in functional analysis, high-dimensional and discrete geometry, and information theory. From 2010-14, Professor Ball served as the scientific director of the International Centre for Mathematical Sciences (ICMS) based in Edinburgh. He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2013 and awarded the Whitehead Prize by the London Mathematical Society in 1992. Professor Ball is the author of Strange Curves, Counting Rabbits, and other Mathematical Explorations (2006), a recreational maths book aimed at those familiar with basic calculus.