Given the exponential function y=

3
4

(
7
2

)
x
, what is the growth rate?

4
3



7
2



3
4



2
7

1 answer

The exponential function given is

\[ y = \frac{3}{4} \left( \frac{7}{2} \right)^x. \]

In an exponential function of the form

\[ y = a \cdot b^x, \]

where \(a\) is the initial value and \(b\) is the base of the exponential, the growth rate is determined by \(b\).

In this case, the base \(b\) is \(\frac{7}{2}\). To determine the growth rate, we can interpret this as

\[ b - 1. \]

Calculating the growth rate:

\[ \text{Growth rate} = \frac{7}{2} - 1 = \frac{7}{2} - \frac{2}{2} = \frac{5}{2}. \]

So, the growth rate in terms of a fractional increase is \( \frac{5}{2} \) or 2.5.

If you were looking for answers from the options you provided:

  • \( \frac{4}{3} \)
  • \( \frac{7}{2} \)
  • \( \frac{3}{4} \)
  • \( \frac{2}{7} \)

None of these represent the growth rate correctly. The growth rate is \( \frac{5}{2} \), which is equivalent to 2.5.