If a town with a population of 10,000 doubles every 14 years, what will the population be in 42 years and is it modeled by a linear function or a exponential function?

This is an exponential function.

The starting population is: 10,000 and it doubles every 14 years.

In 42 years (42 : 14 = 3) the population doubles 3 times.

The equation (exponential) is:

y = 10,000 * 2^n

In this case: n = 3

y = 10,000 * 2 ^3 = 10,000 * 8 = 80,000

Answer: In 42 years the population of this town will be 80,000.