# What is exponential growth? (rabbits inside) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 24, 2008, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exponential-growth-rabbits-inside/446631 "2008-04-24T01:24:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Gozu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gozu/32/6615_2.png) [@Gozu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 1:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exponential-growth-rabbits-inside/446631/1 "2008-04-24T01:24:24Z")
We’ve all heard the story about the rabbits that multiply by mitosis. So from one rabbit, you get two, then two from each, which is 4, and by the 30th generation, around one billion baby rabbits will run around eating carrots and doing other rabbity things. So, that’s the numbah 2 multiplied by itself 30 times. It’s a low exponential growth since takes one unit and gives you two, the lowest possible next whole number. A bacteria that splits 3 ways at once would see its number trippled every time. By the 30th generation, the bacteria will outnumber the rabbits 200,000 to 1. It’s ok though, because the rabbits are made out of many trillions of cells each so the bacteria won’t mess with them. Finally, we’re all familiar with powers of 10 since we have ten fingers, it’s convenient to see an extra 0 and know it’s 10 times more _something_ :). Even so, we can’t really conceive of a Googol (1 followed by 100 zeros) rabbits even though it’s only 44 generations of good old slow mitosis-reproducing rabbits (the carrot plants are also thriving). Exponential (and their inverse logarithmic cousin) curves keeps showing up anywhere you look: -You’ll see if you study biology, physics, chemistry, math, music, ad. infinitum. -We think in exponential ways about countless things. We grow exponentially from one cell and our lives depend on cell division every second. The thing is, to have exponential growth, there must be a seed to start. Something other than 0 (void) and and with a rabbit production rate of at least 2 per seed rabbit. (Can’t have bloody rabbits halves out there making ladies faint!). Anyways, the curve keeps on climbing and cannot stop climbing or it gets kicked out of the the expoKurv club. Is exponential growth, such a major foundation of our reality, just BS deep down? How can an exponential curve describe anything real if it cannot have a beginning for a seed and it cannot have an end since it grows all the time? Let me clarify: The exponential curve seems to **model the concept of “creating something from nothing”**. Is believing in it the same as believing in God? MOVE OVER God’s particle and divine proportions! You just got served! 🆒 **note:** _I hope some of you will forgive me for making you cringe with ridiculous examples, bad metaphors and poor word choices. Corrections are welcome! I just ask that you try to keep it accessible for casual readers._ ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 1:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exponential-growth-rabbits-inside/446631/2 "2008-04-24T01:26:07Z")
Huh? ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exponential-growth-rabbits-inside/446631/3 "2008-04-24T01:41:31Z")
Is this an exponential whoosh? ---
**Author:** ![Grey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b782af/32.png) [@Grey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grey)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exponential-growth-rabbits-inside/446631/4 "2008-04-24T02:24:42Z")
Exponential growth is the map. The map is not the country. If the OP isn’t going to make sense, I dont see why I have to 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Gozu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gozu/32/6615_2.png) [@Gozu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gozu)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exponential-growth-rabbits-inside/446631/5 "2008-04-24T03:14:52Z")
[QUOTE=ultrafilter] Huh? [/QUOTE] That’s the correct reaction and it is how I feel about it all. You summed it all up in 3 letters. Bravo sir. ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exponential-growth-rabbits-inside/446631/6 "2008-04-24T03:51:02Z")
[QUOTE=Gozu] We’ve all heard the story about the rabbits that multiply by mitosis. So from one rabbit, you get two [/QUOTE] This is where you lost me. To Paraphrase a pretty amusing movie: “Exponential Growth” \*You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means. \* ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exponential-growth-rabbits-inside/446631/7 "2008-04-24T04:06:20Z")
Well, as crazy-sounding as the OP is, he’s right. We aren’t really set-up to understand exponential growth. Our minds just don’t get it and have a hard time grasping it. Take the following example: I have a piece of paper. Let’s be conservative and say it’s only 1/100th of an inch thick. Let’s also pretend that I am capable of folding it in half 50 times. I know that’s not really possible, but bear with me. Without doing any calculations (even in your head,) just going with a “gut instinct,” how tall do you think that folded piece of paper would be? It would almost go to the sun…_and back._ 2[sup]50[/sup] = 1125899906842624. Divide by 100 and we have 11258999068426 inches. That’s 938249922369 feet, which is 177698849 miles. 177 million miles…it’s only 93 million miles to the sun. ---
**Author:** ![NinetyWt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/cc9497/32.png) [@NinetyWt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinetyWt)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exponential-growth-rabbits-inside/446631/8 "2008-04-24T05:09:29Z")
[QUOTE=bouv] it’s only [/QUOTE] If you can make it there, you’ll make it everywhere … ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exponential-growth-rabbits-inside/446631/9 "2008-04-24T05:12:24Z")
[QUOTE=bouv] Well, as crazy-sounding as the OP is, he’s right. [/QUOTE] About… what? ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 5:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exponential-growth-rabbits-inside/446631/10 "2008-04-24T05:17:01Z")
[QUOTE=Gozu] _I just ask that you try to keep it accessible for casual readers._ [/QUOTE] Heh. Haha. _Ahahahahahahahaha._ ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exponential-growth-rabbits-inside/446631/11 "2008-04-24T05:29:21Z")
Well, all sorts of things are capable of doubling their numbers in a given period of time, and then doing it again, and again. BUT… that assumes they have the resources to do so. The resources never last. The exponential increase always comes to an end. There is no ‘something from nothing’. ---
**Author:** ![Malacandra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Malacandra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malacandra)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exponential-growth-rabbits-inside/446631/12 "2008-04-24T07:40:20Z")
That’s right, which is why real mathematicians pretty soon get away from exponential growth and into logistic modelling, which includes a term representing how large populations restrict themselves. ---
**Author:** ![Flander](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8c91f0/32.png) [@Flander](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flander)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2008, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-exponential-growth-rabbits-inside/446631/13 "2008-04-24T15:02:30Z")
The title is misleading. I want pictures of bunnies. [Here’s my bunny.](http://s271.photobucket.com/albums/jj121/Flanderguitar/?action=view¤t=080131_143136.jpg) No go forth and multiply.