Math Club Resource Hub

M&Ms and Exponential Growth is a hand-on activity that demonstrates the difference between linear and exponential growth.

Start by putting five M&Ms in a cup and pouring them out. For every M&M that lands with the 'M' side up, add another M&M to the cup.

Track the results and see how the total number of M&Ms in the cup grows. Then use Desmos to produce a linear and exponential model of the data.

Students can reflect on which model best fits the data and consider questions like:

1. How did your number of M&Ms change after each flip?
2. Did your M&Ms always grow at the same rate? Why or why not?
3. Do you think your results were random, or did they follow a pattern?
4. How many flips would it take to reach 2,000 M&Ms?
5. How many M&M’s would you have after 20 flips?
6. How would your graph be different if you started with 10 M&Ms instead of 5?