Exponential Function - Derivatives and Differential Equations

Derivatives and Differential Equations

The importance of the exponential function in mathematics and the sciences stems mainly from properties of its derivative. In particular,

That is, ex is its own derivative and hence is a simple example of a Pfaffian function. Functions of the form cex for constant c are the only functions with that property (by the Picard–Lindelöf theorem). Other ways of saying the same thing include:

• The slope of the graph at any point is the height of the function at that point.
• The rate of increase of the function at x is equal to the value of the function at x.
• The function solves the differential equation y ′ = y.
• exp is a fixed point of derivative as a functional.

If a variable's growth or decay rate is proportional to its size—as is the case in unlimited population growth (see Malthusian catastrophe), continuously compounded interest, or radioactive decay—then the variable can be written as a constant times an exponential function of time. Explicitly for any real constant k, a function f: R→R satisfies f′ = kf if and only if f(x) = cekx for some constant c.

Furthermore for any differentiable function f(x), we find, by the chain rule: