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I mean, exponents can be fractions. Maybe it's x^1.2 faster? I think it is funny when advertisements claim that something is "a fraction of the price". You could literally raise prices and run such an ad, and be technically correct. 3/2 is a fraction, after all.

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x^1.2 is a polynomial (1.2^x is exponential).

The idea still holds. 0.9^x is exponential. But that aspect doesn't awaken the pedant in me; I'm willing to accept that we often assume a range of inputs.

If Gary tells me that he made twice as much at poker as Fred, I'm not going to bother considering the possibility that he lost $1000 to Fred's $500.

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