Q.Comment on the growth curve given below.
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🔒 Start your 14-day free trial to unlock the full solution →Concept understanding — Exponential Growth Rate
Exponential Growth Rate
A quantity grows exponentially when its rate of change is proportional to its current size: the more there is, the faster it grows. This differs sharply from linear growth, where a fixed amount is added each step. In exponential growth the quantity multiplies by the same factor over equal time intervals.
The differential equation
Let y(t) be the quantity and k>0 the proportionality constant. The rate law "rate of change proportional to the current amount" becomes
dtdy=ky.
This is a separable equation. Integrating,
∫ydy=∫kdt⟹log∣y∣=kt+C⟹y=y0ekt,
where y0=y(0) is the starting value. The constant k is the growth rate: a larger k means faster growth. (If k<0, the very same equation describes exponential decay.)
Reading the growth rate
Over each unit of time, y is multiplied by ek. So if the quantity doubles every unit of time, then ek=2, giving k=log2. This is how a stated doubling time is converted into the constant k.
Linear growth adds the same amount each step; exponential growth multiplies by the same factor. That is why an exponential quantity looks slow at first and then climbs steeply — the increase itself keeps getting bigger.
Where it appears …
The graph shows a J-shaped growth curve, which is characteristic of exponential population growth under ideal conditions. When resources are unlimited and environmental resistance is absent, a population grows at its maximum intrinsic rate (r).
In the initial lag phase, growth is slow as the population establishes itself. This is followed by the exponential or log phase, where the curve rises steeply because the population size doubles at regular intervals—this constant interval is called the doubling time. The larger the population becomes, the faster it adds new individuals, creating the characteristic J-shape.
Such growth is typically seen in nature when:
- A species colonizes a new habitat with abundant resources
- Conditions are optimal with no predators or competitors
- The carrying capacity has not yet been reached …
A continuously steepening curve with no flattening anywhere is the J-shaped exponential growth curve, produced when a population grows under unlimited resources.
A population's growth curve can only take one of two basic shapes: a J-shaped exponential curve (unlimited resources) or an S-shaped logistic curve (limited resources, bounded by a carrying capacity). The two are told apart by a single feature -- does the curve ever flatten out?
The growth curve described here never levels off: it starts slowly, then rises at an ever-increasing rate, with no sign of an upper plateau. This is exactly the behaviour predicted by the exponential growth equation:
$$\frac{dN}{dt} = rN$$
Because the rate of increase ($dN/dt$) is directly proportional to the current population size ($N$), a larger population always adds individuals faster than a smaller one did -- there is no term in this equation that slows growth down as $N$ grows, unlike the logistic equation $dN/dt = rN(K-N)/K$, where the factor $(K-N)/K$ shrinks toward zero as $N$ approaches the carrying capacity $K$.
Integrating the exponential equation gives population size at any time:
$$N_t = N_0 e^{rt}$$ …
Check the trend of the slope across the whole curve, not just its overall shape: a slope that keeps steepening everywhere, with no flattening anywhere, rules out logistic …
- COMEDK 2026Set 2026-M1 markMCQQ.In a bank the principal increases continuously at the rate of 4% per annum. In how many years will ₹ 1000 triple itself? (A) 251loge3 (B) 25loge3 (C) loge325 (D) loge75
›Reveal solutionSolution
The problem involves continuous compounding growth, modeled by the differential equation dP/dt=rP. Solving gives P(t)=P0ert. Setting P=3P0 with r=0.04 yields t=25ln3, which corresponds to option (B).
The key concept here is continuous growth, where the rate of increase is proportional to the current amount. This is the classic model for continuously compounded interest, population growth, or radioactive decay (but with a positive rate). The differential equation is dtdP=rP, whose solution is an exponential function. The intuition: the larger the principal, the faster it grows, leading to a "snowball" effect.
We are told the principal increases continuously at 4% per annum. That "4%" is the instantaneous rate r=0.04 (not an annual percentage yield after compounding). So we use the continuous compounding formula.
- Set up the model Let P(t) be the principal after t years. The continuous growth rate is r=1004=0.04. The differential equation is
dtdP=0.04P
The solution (by separation of variables or known formula) is
P(t)=P0e0.04t
where P0=1000 is the initial principal.
- State the tripling condition We want the time t such that the principal triples:
P(t)=3P0
Substitute the expression:
P0e0.04t=3P0
Cancel P0 (since it's nonzero):
e0.04t=3
- Solve for t Take the natural logarithm of both sides:
ln(e0.04t)=ln3
Using ln(ex)=x, we get:
0.04t=ln3
So
- KCET 2026Set UNKNOWN1 markMCQQ.Which of the following is not correct with reference to exponential growth model? (A) Resources are limited (B) Population grows in a geometric fashion (C) A stationary phase is never reached (D) Population grows beyond carrying capacity
›Reveal solutionSolution
The exponential growth model is defined by the assumption of unlimited resources, so "resources are limited" is the statement that is incorrect for this model (that assumption instead belongs to the logistic growth model).
Step 1 — Core assumption of exponential growth
When resources in a habitat are unlimited, each species has the potential to realise its full biotic potential, and the population grows exponentially — described by the equation dtdN=rN, producing a J-shaped curve.
Step 2 — Checking each statement
- (A) "Resources are limited" — false for the exponential model; unlimited resources is precisely what allows unchecked exponential growth. This is the assumption of the logistic, not exponential, model.
- (B) "Population grows in a geometric fashion" — true; this is the defining character of exponential/J-shaped growth. …
- COMEDK 2025Set 2025-E1 markMCQQ.Find the function ' f ' which satisfies the equation dxdf=2f, given that f(0)=e3 (A) 2x+3 (B) log(2x+3) (C) e2x+3 (D) 2x2
›Reveal solutionSolution
The differential equation dxdf=2f with f(0)=e3 is a classic exponential growth model; its solution is f(x)=e2x+3, which corresponds to option (C).
We are given a first-order differential equation: the rate of change of f is proportional to f itself. This is the hallmark of exponential functions — the only functions whose derivative is a constant multiple of the original function. The constant here is 2, so we expect f(x)=Ce2x. The initial condition f(0)=e3 will determine C.
Let’s work through it step by step.
- Separate variables The equation is dxdf=2f. We can rewrite it as
fdf=2dx,
provided f=0 (which will be true here since the initial value is positive). This isolates f on one side and x on the other.
- Integrate both sides
∫f1df=∫2dx.
The left side gives log∣f∣, and the right side gives 2x+C (where C is the constant of integration). So
log∣f∣=2x+C.
- Solve for f Exponentiate both sides:
∣f∣=e2x+C=eCe2x.
Since eC is a positive constant, we can write f(x)=±eCe2x. Let K=±eC, an arbitrary constant. Then
f(x)=Ke2x.
- Apply the initial condition We are given f(0)=e3. Substituting x=0:
f(0)=Ke0=K=e3.
So K=e3, and the solution is
f(x)=e3e2x=e2x+3. …
- COMEDK 2024Set 2024-M1 markMCQQ.If f(x)=f′(x) and f(1)=2, then f(3) is (A) 2e3 (B) log8−3 (C) 2e2 (D) 6
›Reveal solutionSolution
The function satisfies f′(x)=f(x), so it is an exponential of the form f(x)=Cex. Using f(1)=2 gives C=2/e, so f(3)=2e2, which corresponds to option (C).
The key idea is recognizing that the equation f′(x)=f(x) is the classic differential equation whose only solutions (up to a constant factor) are exponential functions. This is because the derivative being equal to the function itself means the function grows at a rate proportional to its current value — the hallmark of exponential growth.
Why this works:
If you differentiate ex, you get ex back. So any function of the form f(x)=Cex will satisfy f′(x)=Cex=f(x). The constant C is then determined by the given condition f(1)=2.
- Set up the general solution The differential equation f′(x)=f(x) has the general solution
f(x)=Cex,
where C is a constant. This is because the derivative of Cex is Cex, matching the original function.
- Use the initial condition We know f(1)=2. Substitute x=1 into f(x)=Cex:
Ce1=2⇒C=e2.
- Find f(3) Now plug x=3 into the function: f(3)=e2⋅e3=2e2. …
- KCET 2021Set C-31 markMCQQ.In a standard ECG, one of the following functions of its components is not correctly interpreted. (A) P is the contraction of only left atria (B) QRS complex represents ventricular contraction. (C) T is the end of systole. (D) P is the contraction of both atria.
›Reveal solutionSolution
The P wave stands for depolarisation of both atria, so the statement restricting it to the left atrium alone is the incorrect interpretation.
Step 1 — What an ECG records
An electrocardiogram is a graphical record of the electrical activity of the heart during one cardiac cycle, picked up by electrodes on the body surface. A standard ECG has three components:
Component What it represents P wave Electrical excitation (depolarisation) of BOTH atria, which leads to the contraction of both atria. QRS complex Depolarisation of the ventricles, which initiates ventricular contraction — contraction begins just after Q. T wave Return of the ventricles from the excited to the normal state (repolarisation) — it marks the end of systole. Step 2 — Test each option
- (A) "P is the contraction of only left atria" — WRONG. The impulse from the SA node spreads over both atria; the P wave therefore reflects the excitation of the right and left atria together. Restricting it to the left atrium alone misstates the ECG. ✓ this is the mis-interpretation the question asks for …
- KCET 2021Set C-31 markMCQQ.Which is the most feared property of malignant tumors? (A) Neoplasty (B) Metastasis (C) Rapid invasive growth (D) Loss of contact inhibition
›Reveal solutionSolution
Malignant tumours are feared above all because they spread — cells break off, travel in the blood, and seed new tumours elsewhere. That is metastasis.
Step 1 — Benign vs malignant tumours
Cancer cells lose the contact inhibition that normally stops a cell dividing once it touches its neighbours, so they go on dividing to form a mass — a tumour. Tumours are of two kinds:
- Benign tumours normally remain confined to their original location, do not spread to other parts of the body, and cause little damage.
- Malignant tumours are a mass of proliferating cells (neoplastic/tumour cells) that grow very rapidly, invade and damage the surrounding normal tissue, and starve the normal cells by competing for nutrients.
Step 2 — The defining terror: metastasis
NCERT states it plainly: "the most feared property of malignant tumours is METASTASIS."
In metastasis:
- Cells sloughed off from the primary tumour enter the bloodstream.
- They are carried to distant sites in the body.
- Wherever they lodge, they start a NEW tumour — a secondary growth.
Step 3 — Why metastasis, and not the other three, is the most feared
All four options are genuine features of malignancy, but they differ in consequence: …
- KCET 2018Set A-11 markMCQQ.In malignant tumors, the cells divide rapidly and move to distant parts of the body and cause new tumors. This property is called (A) Metastasis (B) Metagenesis (C) Teratogenesis (D) Mitosis
›Reveal solutionSolution
The question asks for the term describing the spread of cancer cells from a primary tumor to distant sites, forming new tumors. The correct term is metastasis.
The key here is understanding what each term means in the context of tumor biology. The question describes two specific behaviors: rapid division and movement to distant parts of the body to cause new tumors. The second part — the spread — is the defining feature being tested.
Let’s break down the options:
-
Metastasis – This is the process by which cancer cells break away from the original (primary) tumor, travel through the bloodstream or lymphatic system, and form new tumors (secondary tumors) in other organs. This matches the description exactly. The word itself comes from Greek meta (beyond) + stasis (standing), meaning "displacement."
-
Metagenesis – This refers to alternation of generations in some organisms (e.g., jellyfish), where a sexual phase alternates with an asexual phase. It has nothing to do with cancer spread.
-
Teratogenesis – This is the process by which birth defects (congenital malformations) are produced, often due to exposure to harmful substances (teratogens) during pregnancy. Not related to tumor spread.
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Mitosis – This is the normal process of cell division that produces two identical daughter cells. While cancer cells do divide rapidly via mitosis, mitosis itself is not a property unique to malignant tumors — it happens in all dividing cells. The question specifically asks about the property of moving to distant parts and causing new tumors, not just rapid division. …
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