How can one differentiate an exponential model from linear model given a real world set of data?

To differentiate between an exponential model and a linear model in real-world data, you can analyze the growth patterns. In a linear model, data points increase by a constant amount over equal intervals, resulting in a straight line when graphed. In contrast, an exponential model shows data points increasing by a constant percentage, leading to a curve that steepens over time. Plotting the data and observing the shape of the graph, as well as calculating growth rates, can help identify which model fits the data better.