Which one of the following scenarios does NOT describe exponential growth?
A) A population increases by 8.5% every year.
B) A population doubles every 5 years.
C) A population grew by a factor of 1.49 every 5 years.
D) A population in a certain year was 104% of the population the previous year.
E) A population increases by 1600 people every year.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Exponential growth occurs when the growth rate of a mathematical function is proportional to the function's current value. In options A, B, C, and D, the growth rate is a percentage of the population, meaning the larger the population gets, the larger the absolute increase. However, in option E, the population increases by a fixed number (1600 people) every year, which is a linear growth, not exponential.

Which One of the Following Scenarios Does NOT Describe Exponential