Question

which situations are best modeled with exponential decay? select all that apply. the deer population of a state decreases 0.25% each year. a scientist claims glaciers are losing 1% of their mass each year. 25 species become extinct or endangered each year. the amount of medicine in a system decreases 40 milligrams per hour. the number of mold cells doubles every hour.

Explanation:

Step1: Recall exponential decay concept

Exponential decay is a decrease by a constant percentage over time.

Step2: Analyze each situation

• For "The deer population of a state decreases 0.25% each year", it decreases by a percentage, so it's exponential decay.
• For "A scientist claims glaciers are losing 1% of their mass each year", it decreases by a percentage, so it's exponential decay.
• For "25 species become extinct or endangered each year", it's a constant - number decrease, not percentage - based, so not exponential decay.
• For "The amount of medicine in a system decreases 40 milligrams per hour", it's a constant - amount decrease, not percentage - based, so not exponential decay.
• For "The number of mold cells doubles every hour", it's exponential growth, not decay.

Answer:

The deer population of a state decreases 0.25% each year; A scientist claims glaciers are losing 1% of their mass each year