“It was exponential growth,” said Jonathan Torres, an engineer and public information officer with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, noting that the blaze had caught hold in “a matter of moments. Not hours.”

They found that the submillimeter emission in most of sample galaxies are very compact, with surface brightness profiles deviating significantly from those of exponential disks.

The population started to take off two years ago and is now poised for “almost exponential” growth in light of the number of pups born this year, he said.

“Typically, paint costs between 1 and 2% of the project. The problem is, when it goes wrong, the costs become exponential,” says Mr Hopkinson.

Airlines began trans-Atlantic jet passenger service in 1958, significantly cutting travel time and inaugurating a period of exponential growth in travel to Europe.