Definition:Exponential Function/Real/Differential Equation

Definition

Let $\exp: \R \to \R_{>0}$ denote the (real) exponential function.

The exponential function can be defined as the unique solution $y = \map f x$ to the first order ODE:

$\dfrac {\d y} {\d x} = y$

satisfying the initial condition $\map f 0 = 1$.

That is, the defining property of $\exp$ is that it is its own derivative.

The number $\exp x$ is called the exponential of $x$.

Sources

• Weisstein, Eric W. "Exponential Function." From MathWorld--A Wolfram Web Resource. https://mathworld.wolfram.com/ExponentialFunction.html