Didn't take much math? A visual introduction to what "exponential" really means
If you didn't take a whole lot of math, but you are handy with a ruler, this is what exponential actually means. The word gets abused a lot in casual conversation, but it's become clear that many more people can say the word, but may not have learned what it means in any real sense.
Have a look at this graph:
Because it shoots up so much, it is best visualized on graph paper where each vertical tick is a factor of ten:
It becomes a straight line. A straight line is a lot easier to understand.
Notice that the time it takes to go from one factor of ten to the next factor of ten is the same for each factor of ten.
In other words, you go from 10 to 100 in roughly the same amount of time as from 100 to 1000, etc.
Now, deaths lags behind cases by several days. In other words, you don't go from being a "case" to being "dead" instantly. So, even if everyone were in perfect solitary isolation, there would be no impact on the death rate for a fair way into the incubation period for the disease.
So, we can do the same visualization for deaths.
From this:
To this:
Anywho, if you mosey on over to https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/country/us/ you can get a regular reality check on what "exponential" means, and why so many people you hear these days are completely full of crap.
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