In the functions studied before exponentials, the variable was the:

1. A squared function raises a variable to a fixed power. 2. There the variable sits underneath the power. 3. In the functions so far, the variables were the base. 4. Exponentials swap the two positions round. _Source: OpenStax Intermediate Algebra 2e (CC BY 4.0), Ch 10, sections 10.1-10.2 'Evaluate and Graph Exponential Functions'_