What is an exponential? It’s a simple question with a surprisingly straightforward answer. One that has been obfuscated by a generation of poorly written calculus textbooks.
To understand what an exponent is it helps to take a step back. Let us first ask “what is multiplication?” Multiplication is nothing more than a shorthand for repetitive addition. After all 2*3 is the same as 2 + 2 + 2 and 2*10 is the same as 2 + 2 +2 + 2+ 2 + 2 + 2 +2 + 2+ 2. I won’t expand 2*100; the idea is straightforward. It should also be obvious why such a shorthand is necessary.