Question 715651
One option is to build a table of values (pick a value for x and find its y and repeat), plot the points and then "connect the dots" with a smooth curve.<br>
Another option, if you're just looking for just a pretty good sketch, is use use your knowledge of how exponential functions look in general and how transformations work. The graph of {{{y = 8^x}}} looks like most exponential functions. The "8", compared to smaller numbers, just makes it shoot up faster on the right and approach the x-axis faster on the left. (Note: On all of the graphs below, it looks like the graph touches the x-axis. This is just a flaw in Algebra.com's graphing software. <u>None</u> of these graphs actually touch the x-axis because the y-coordinates can <u>never</u> be zero. The graphs should look like they  approach the negative (left) part of the x-axis as an asymptote.) 
{{{graph(300, 300, -5, 5, -5, 5, 8^x)}}} {{{y = 8^x}}}
The graph of {{{y = -8^x}}} is the same except the "-" reflects the graph about the x-axis:
{{{graph(300, 300, -5, 5, -5, 5, -8^x)}}} {{{y = -8^x}}}
The graph of {{{y = -1.7*8^x}}} is the same as the previous graph "1.7" stretches the graph vertically:
{{{graph(300, 300, -5, 5, -5, 5, -1.7*8^x)}}} {{{y = -1.7*8^x}}}