Question

How to find the maximum value of an exponential function?

Answer 1

The first way is graphing. You can find the maximum value visually by graphing the equation and finding the maximum point on the graph. This is especially easy when you have a graphing calculator that can do the work for you. Again, using this graph, you can see that the maximum point of the graph is at y = 5.

The second way to determine the maximum value is using the equation y = ax2 + bx + c.

If your equation is in the form ax2 + bx + c, you can find the maximum by using the equation:

max = c - (b2 / 4a).

The first step is to determine whether your equation gives a maximum or minimum. This can be done by looking at the x2 term. If this term is positive, the vertex point will be a minimum. If it is negative, the vertex will be a maximum.