What characterizes exponential growth?

Exponential growth is characterized by growth that is proportional to the current value. This means that as the quantity increases, the rate of growth also increases. For instance, if you have a population of bacteria that doubles every hour, the growth in the next hour will be dependent on the current population size at that moment; more bacteria mean more opportunities for additional bacteria to reproduce, leading to even more significant growth.

This concept reflects the mathematical principle of exponential functions, where the growth rate is constant relative to the size of the quantity being measured rather than being fixed over time as seen in linear growth models. In contrast, the other choices represent different patterns of growth that do not align with the nature of exponential increase.