Template documentationUsage
Note: {{decay}} redirects here.
| parameter | description |
|---|---|
| n= | Change factor (2 = double, 0.5 = half) |
| t= | Time for change (i.e. if something takes 20 minutes to double then set t = 20 and n = 2) |
| start= | Starting population (defaults to 1) |
| end= | Ending population (defaults to 0.5) |
| scale= | Allows for scale changes (i.e. enter 60 if t is based in minutes and the result is desired as hours) |
| dec= | Number of decimals to round (defaults to number of significant figures in n) |
| n2= | 2nd change factor (i.e. something doubles every 20-30 minutes, set n=20 and n2=30) |
| end2= | 2nd possible ending population |
| t2= | 2nd possible time needed for change |
blank template:
{{n-life
|n=
|t=
|start=
|end=
|scale=
|dec=
|n2=
|end2=
}}
Examples
Growth
Given that a bacterium doubles every 20 minutes, the number of hours until the population has increased by a factor of 1 million (10^6) would be:
= 6.6
{{n-life|n=2|t=20|start=1|end=10^6|scale=60|dec=1}}
Radioactive decay
Knowing that the half life of an element is 2 years, the number of days it takes for 10% of the atoms to decay would be:
= 111
{{n-life|n=0.5|t=2|end=1-0.1|scale=1/365.25|dec=1}}
You can confirm this result by plugging in 0.9 ^ ((365.25 * 2) / 111) into your calculator, which should yield a result ~0.5.
Probability
Assuming there is a 1% chance of winning a prize per ticket, the number tickets one would need to have a 75% chance of winning:
= 137.935
{{n-life|n=1-0.01|end=1-0.75|dec=3}}
You can confirm the final example using the equation (1-0.01)^137.935 which equals ~0.25 (25% chance of losing).
Range
In 5 years, I plan to be 10-15 times richer than today. Thus, to stay on track, I need to double my wealth every...
1.3 - 1.5 years
{{n-life|n=15|n2=10|t=5|end=2|dec=1}} years
See Also
- {{Change}}
- {{Order of magnitude}}
- {{APR}}