Exponentially has to be one of the most badly used words in the history of the English language. I'm sick to death of people saying "oh it's increasing exponentially" when really it is just increasing lots. Exponentially means that the growth rate is increasing, not just the growth.
Key culprits in the abuse of this word are those (awful) "Left Behind" books. They say stuff like "since the end of the world (part 1, which happened about a year and a half ago from this quote) 200,000 people have started believing in Jesus" and then just later on say "the number of believers is increasing exponentially". That'd mean that by six years into the end of the world, there'd be around 40 billion believers (I think, can some, Ie Ben, do that maths properly for me?), which is obviously ridculous given population levels and stuff (more so when you consider how many people die in the Left Behind books).
Suggested Replacement Word: enormously.
(My quotes from Left Behind, in italics, are all loose paraphrases as I can't be bothered to look up anything)
(8) Radiohead - live
(t) Helen
It's all the stuff that happens after the second coming of Christ (Now I know most people think that the bible says Christ only comes once again, but, well, they are obviously wrong. Because Tim LaHaye says so)
And God said to Abraham you will kill your son Isaac and Abraham said I'm sorry I can't hear you, you'll have to speak into the microphone and God said I'm sorry is this better check check Jerry pull the high end out. I'm still getting some hiss back here.
'Ultimate' is my favourite worst word. As in the 'ultimate Hi-Fi' or 'ultimate pc'. Why? because next month you find out it's not the ultimate anymore, its obsolete.
But to express disdain for The Left Buttock series because of its misuse of 'exponential' is like complaining that Saddam has a bad taste in beards.
The Rapture? quality band.
and since when did the end of the world happen? someone could have at least written a note...
It does in this series of books. But it's a rather drawn out end of the world. Takes seven years or something.
Surely the actual end comes at the end of the seven years?
Here I am, your resident Oxford Mathemetician, on call to answer your questions!! (well your maths ones anyway)
To do any sums for exponential growth, you either need the growth constant, or you need to work the growth constant out. This can be done given 2 readings and the time they were taken... eg "1 month after the Rapture there were 200,000 believers, and 2 months after there were a million believers"
When you say "Exponentially means that the growth rate is increasing, not just the growth" well you are right :) As long as you're talking about exponential growth, not exponential decay ;) But the growth rate could be increasing very slowly, and it's still exponential.
If none of that made any sense, take comfort in the fact that I'm NOT going to teach maths later in life...
Oh and I quite like the Left Behind books.
okay, well two points on your graph. At about a day after the rapture approximately 1,000 people (seems likely), two years after it (that's 730 days) around 200,000 people believing.
okay, well two points on your graph. At about a day after the rapture approximately 1,000 people (seems likely), two years after it (that's 730 days) around 200,000 people believing.
I'm actually really worried about the popularity of those Left Behind books now... example theology at work if ever there was. But then I guess the whole idea of the Rapture is also a result of example theology.
It's just one man's (well 2 men's) interpretation of the Bible. No-one knows for sure exactly what will happen at the end of the world...
I'm not too sure about your figures Mark, but using those numbers and if it was growing exponentially, then by the end of the 7 years they'd be over 114 billion believers in Christ :)
Stupid Windows calculator doesn't have e, I had to use an estimate of 2.72...
"whatever is going on here"
"I'm not sure"
"whatever it is, it's very odd. Stupid"
"why did you call me stupid?"
"an excuse is needed for comic violence. TRACTOR!!!"
Please, please get rid of it. I beg of you.
Please try to keep on topic. Hehe.
lol, it wasn't until about the 6th visit I realised you could click on that thing to get to your blog :P
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Matt
That those ones that take place after the Rapture, supposedly?