The main difference between the linear and exponential function is the following: the linear function f(x)=ax+b is changing at a constant rate as x changes and the exponential function f(x)=ab^x is changing at a rate that's always proportional to the value of the function. Using both graphs and tables can be notices that <span>exponential growth is </span>far more significant than linear growth. By looking only at a table we can determine if a function is linear of exponential by determining which growth is more significant (the exponential function has far more significant growth than the linear function).