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Logarithms describe the power to which a base number must be raised to equal another number. There are two main types: base-10 logarithms where 10 is the base number, and natural logarithms where the base is the mathematical constant e ≈ 2.718. The laws of logarithms allow logarithmic expressions to be rewritten, with the key laws being that logarithms can be added when their bases are multiplied, subtracted when divided, and that logarithms of powers can be written as the power times the logarithm. Logarithms are useful for solving exponential and logarithmic equations.

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148 views5 pages

Log

Logarithms describe the power to which a base number must be raised to equal another number. There are two main types: base-10 logarithms where 10 is the base number, and natural logarithms where the base is the mathematical constant e ≈ 2.718. The laws of logarithms allow logarithmic expressions to be rewritten, with the key laws being that logarithms can be added when their bases are multiplied, subtracted when divided, and that logarithms of powers can be written as the power times the logarithm. Logarithms are useful for solving exponential and logarithmic equations.

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 Logarithm

A logarithm is the power to which a number must be raised in order to get some other
number (see Section 3 of this Math Review for more about exponents). For example, the
base ten logarithm of 100 is 2, because ten raised to the power of two is 100:
log 100 = 2
because
10 = 100
This is an example of a base-ten logarithm. We call it a base ten logarithm because ten is
the number that is raised to a power. The base unit is the number being raised to a power.
There are logarithms using different base units. If you wanted, you could use two as a base
unit. For instance, the base two logarithm of eight is three, because two raised to the power
of three equals eight:
log2 8 = 3
because
23 = 8
In general, you write log followed by the base number as a subscript. The most common
logarithms are base 10 logarithms and natural logarithms; they have special notations. A
base ten log is written
log
and a base ten logarithmic equation is usually written in the form:
log a = r
A natural logarithm is written
ln
and a natural logarithmic equation is usually written in the form:
ln a = r
So, when you see log by itself, it means base ten log. When you see ln, it means natural
logarithm (we'll define natural logarithms below). In this course only base ten and natural
logarithms will be used. So, when you see log by itself, it means base ten log. When you see
ln, it means natural logarithm (we'll define natural logarithms below). In this course only
base ten and natural logarithms will be used.
 Base Ten Logarithms
We saw above that base ten logarithms are expressions in which the number being
raised to a power is ten. The base ten log of 1000 is three:
log 1000 = 3
103 = 1000
So far, we've worked with expressions that have whole numbers as solutions. Here's one
that does not. What is the log of 4?
log 4 = x
log 4 ≈ 0.602
because
10 0.602 ≈ 4
 Natural Logarithms
Logarithms with a base of 'e' are called natural logarithms.
 What is 'e'?
'e' is a very special number approximately equal to 2.718. 'e' is a little bit like pi in that it is
the result of an equation and it's a big long number that never ends. For those of you who
have had calculus, you might remember that ex is special because its derivative is itself. If
you want to know more about 'e', check any trigonometry text, such as page 234 of Ruud,
W.L. and T.L. Shell. Prelude to Calculus, 2nd ed. 1993. Boston: PWS Publishing Company.

Most scientific calculators have an 'e' button and an 'ln' button, so you don't need to
memorize the value of 'e'.

 The laws of logarithms


Introduction
There are a number of rules known as the laws of logarithms. These allow expressions
involving logarithms to be rewritten in a variety of different ways. The laws apply to
logarithms of any base but the same base must be used throughout a calculation.
The laws of logarithms
The three main laws are stated here:
First Law
log A + log B = log AB
This law tells us how to add two logarithms together. Adding log A and log B results in
the logarithm of the product of A and B, that is log AB.
For example, we can write
log10 5 + log10 4 = log10(5 × 4) = log10 20
The same base, in this case 10, is used throughout the calculation. You should verify this
by evaluating both sides separately on your calculator.

Second Law
log A − log B = log A/B
So, subtracting log B from log A results in log A/B
For example, we can write
loge 12 − loge 2 = loge12/2 = loge 6
The same base, in this case e, is used throughout the calculation. You should verify this by
evaluating both sides separately on your calculator.

Third Law
log An = n log A
So, for example
log10 53 = 3 log10 5
You should verify this by evaluating both sides separately on your calculator.
Two other important results are
log 1 = 0, logm m = 1
The logarithm of 1 to any base is always 0, and the logarithm of a number to the same base
is
always 1. In particular,

log10 10 = 1, and loge e = 1


Applications:

Example 1: Solve log3 (9x + 2) = 4


log3 (9x+2) = 4
log3 (9x+2) = 4
9x + 2 = 34
9x + 2 = 81
x = 79/9
Example 3: Solve log4 (2x +1) = log4 (x + 2) - log4 3
Log4 (2x +1) = log4 (x + 2) - log4 3
log4 (2x+ 1) = log4(x+2/3)
(2x +1) = x + 2/3
3(2x+1)= x+ 2
6x+ 3 = x + 2
x = -1/5

 Glossary:

 logarithm
A logarithm is the “power” to which a number must be raised in order to “get” some other
number. The two most common logarithms are base 10 logarithms (the base unit is the
number being “raised to a power”) and natural logarithms.

 logarithm, base ten


A base ten logarithm is the exponent of 10 required for the expression to equal some other
number. It is usually written in this form: log a=r, which means that a=10^r.
 logarithm, natural
A natural logarithm is the exponent of e ~ 2.71828183 required for the expression to equal
some other number. e is a transcendential number, which means it does not end. It is usually
written in this form: ln a=r, which means that a=e^r.c

References:

http://www.mclph.umn.edu/mathrefresh/logs5.html
http://www.mathcentre.ac.uk/resources/uploaded/mc-bus-loglaws-
2009-1.pdf

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