ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Exponential minus 1

Exponential minus 1 means a number that is really, really close to 1 but not exactly 1. Imagine you have a toy car, and you want to make it go really fast. If you push it gently, it won't go very fast, but if you push it really hard, it will go much faster. The same thing happens with numbers that are really close to 1. If you raise them to a very large power, they will become much bigger than they were before.

Now think about the number e, which is a special number in math that helps us solve problems with growth and decay. If we raise e to a power and subtract 1 from the result, we get a number that is very close to 1, but not exactly 1. This number is called the "exponential minus 1."

For example, if we raise e to the power of 1 (written as e^1), we get a number that is approximately 2.718. If we subtract 1 from that number, we get a result of approximately 1.718. This is the exponential minus 1 for e^1.

Similarly, if we raise e to the power of 2 (written as e^2), we get a number that is approximately 7.389. If we subtract 1 from that number, we get a result of approximately 6.389. This is the exponential minus 1 for e^2.

Exponential minus 1 is important in math because it shows up in many different applications, such as compound interest, population growth, and radioactive decay. By understanding how to calculate exponential minus 1, we can better understand these real-world phenomena and make better decisions based on that knowledge.