Power and Exponential Laws
Modelling situations where experimental data suggests there may be either power or exponential functions
Publisher: Texas Instruments UK
Editor: Barrie Galpin
Topic: Mathematics
Tags Exponential , Powers and roots , Scattergraphs , Logarithms , Modeling
TI-Nspire’s regression tools can easily fit equations such as y = axb (Power law) or y=a.bx (Exponential law) to experimental data. However, traditional methods involved looking for a straight-line graph when log10 y was plotted either against log10 x or against x. In some examinations, students are still asked to use logs in this way and this activity is designed to help students understand why this method works.
Contents include:
- Teacher Notes (17 pages including worksheet solutions);
- Two TI-Nspire documents with data for Power Law and Exponential Law;
- Two students worksheets;
- Two Powerpoint presentations to support those who are unfamiliar with TI-Nspire.
