Which statement best describes exponential growth compared to linear growth?

Which statement best describes exponential growth compared to linear growth?

• A. Exponential involves adding or subtracting; Linear involves multiplying or dividing.
• B. Exponential grows linearly; Linear grows exponentially.
• C. Exponential multiplies or divides; Linear adds or subtracts.
• D. Exponential decreases as time increases; Linear stays constant.

Answer: (C)

Exponential growth changes by a constant factor each time period, while linear growth increases by a constant amount each period. So exponential is about multiplying (or dividing if it’s a decay) by the same factor each step, and linear is about adding (or subtracting) the same amount each step. For example, doubling each period gives 2, 4, 8, 16, and so on, which shows the size balloons because you’re multiplying. In contrast, adding a fixed amount like +2 each period gives 3, 5, 7, 9, which is a steady, straight-line increase. The statement that exponential multiplies or divides while linear adds or subtracts matches this fundamental difference.

Exponential growth changes by a constant factor each time period, while linear growth increases by a constant amount each period. So exponential is about multiplying (or dividing if it’s a decay) by the same factor each step, and linear is about adding (or subtracting) the same amount each step. For example, doubling each period gives 2, 4, 8, 16, and so on, which shows the size balloons because you’re multiplying. In contrast, adding a fixed amount like +2 each period gives 3, 5, 7, 9, which is a steady, straight-line increase. The statement that exponential multiplies or divides while linear adds or subtracts matches this fundamental difference.