OCR AS Mathematics: Exponentials and logarithms

Section 1: Exponential functions and logarithms

Notes and Examples
These notes contain the following subsections:
Exponential functions
Indices and logarithms
The laws of logarithms
Special cases
Solving exponential equations using logarithms
An old practical application of logarithms

Exponential functions
An exponential function is any function of the form y = a . The graphs below show some
x

different exponential functions.

Many real life situations can be modelled by exponential functions. The growth of a
population (e.g. of people, animals or bacteria) can be modelled by an exponential function.
A model like this might take the form y = c  a . This type of model is called exponential
kt

growth.
In an exponential growth model, the quantity being modelled continues to increase, at an
ever-increasing rate. In a real-life situation such as the growth of a population, the model
will eventually break down, since other factors such as overcrowding or limited resources
will affect the growth of the population.

OCR AS Maths: Exponentials and logarithms 1 © MEI 21/06/22

Notes and examples page 1 of 7 integralmaths.org
Another type of model is exponential decay, in which something decreases exponentially. A
− kt
model like this might take the form y = c  a . Exponential decay could model the
temperature of a cooling liquid, or the mass of a radioactive isotope remaining.
In an exponential decay model, the quantity being modelled decreases at a rate which
becomes slower and slower. The quantity will approach a limiting value, but never quite
−t
reach it. For example, the graph below shows the curve y = 1 + 2 . As t becomes large,
2−t becomes very small, so y becomes close to 1, and so the curve approaches the line
y = 1 as t becomes large.

Indices and logarithms

Logarithms are the inverse of exponentials.

The statement a = b can be written using logarithms as log a b = x .

x

To remember this relationship, notice that a is both the base of the logarithm and the base
of the index, and x, the logarithm, is the index. The value of log a b is the answer to the
question: “What power must I raise a to in order to get b?”

For example, 2 = 8 can be written as log 2 8 = 3 . The value of log 2 8 is the answer to the
3

question ‘What power must I raise 2 to in order to get 8?’

Your calculator will have a button for log to base 10 (sometimes denoted just by log) and
you may also be able to use your calculator to find logarithms to any base. However, you
should understand the relationships between logarithm statements and the equivalent
statement using indices, so that you can work fluently with algebraic expressions.

OCR AS Maths: Exponentials and logarithms 1 © MEI 21/06/22

Notes and examples page 2 of 7 integralmaths.org
Example 1
(a) Find log 4 2
(b) Find x, where log5 x = − 12

Solution

(a) The statement log 4 2 = x is equivalent to 4x = 2 .

1
1
Since 4 = 2 , then x must be
2
.
2
So log4 2 = 12 .
1
−
(b) The statement log5 x = − 1
2 is equivalent to 5 2
= x.
1
So x = .
5

The laws of logarithms

The laws of logarithms are:
log x + log y = log xy
x
log x − log y = log
y
log x n = n log x
These laws are true whatever base is used for the logarithms.
The laws can be proved using the laws of indices:

First convert into index notation: log c x = a  c = x

a

log c y = b  cb = y

To prove the first law: c a cb = xy  c a+b = xy

 log c xy = a + b
 log c xy = log c x + log c y

OCR AS Maths: Exponentials and logarithms 1 © MEI 21/06/22

Notes and examples page 3 of 7 integralmaths.org
 ca x a −b x
Similarly for the second law: =  c =
cb y y
x
 log c = a − b
y
x
 log c = log c x − log c y
y
For the third law: log c x n = a  c a = x n
 ca n = x
a
 log c x =
n
 n log c x = a
 n log c x = log c x n
As the first two laws of indices require the indices to have the same base, then the first two
laws of logarithms require the logarithms to have the same base.

Example 2

x3 y
(a) Write log in terms of log x , log y and log z .
z
(b) Write 2log a − log b − 13 log c as a single logarithm.

Solution

x3 y
(a) log = log x3 + log y − log z
z
= log x3 + log y − log z1 2
= 3log x + log y − 12 log z

(b) 2log a − log b − 13 log c = log a 2 − log b − log c1 3

= log a 2 − (log b + log 3 c )
a2
= log 3
b c

OCR AS Maths: Exponentials and logarithms 1 © MEI 21/06/22

Notes and examples page 4 of 7 integralmaths.org
Special cases
There are some special cases of logarithms that are likely to crop up and are worth noting.
log a a = 1 “What is the power is a raised to in order to get the result a? 1”

log a 1 = 0 Since a = 1
0

Example 3
Find the value of the following (without using a calculator)
(a) 2log3 3
(b) 7log7 1
(c) log3 9 − log5 1

Solution
(a) 2log3 3 = 2 1 = 2
(b) 7log7 1 = 7  0 = 0

(c) log5 1 − log3 9 = 0 − log3 (32 )

= −2log3 3 = −2

Solving exponential equations using logarithms

Many equations are solved using inverse functions. For example you solve the equation
x + 3 = 5 , in which addition is applied to the unknown variable, by subtracting 3 from each
side. Similarly you solve the equation x = 10 by using the square root function, which is
2

the inverse of the square function.

Exponential functions are the inverse of logarithm functions: the function y = a is the
x

inverse of the function y = log a x . An equation like 2 = 10 involves an exponential

x

function of x. So to solve this equation, it follows that you need to use the inverse of the
exponential function, which is the logarithm function. This is shown in the next example.

OCR AS Maths: Exponentials and logarithms 1 © MEI 21/06/22

Notes and examples page 5 of 7 integralmaths.org
Example 4
Solve the following equations.

(a) 2 x = 10
(b) 32 x−1 = 4
(c) 0.21− x = 2

Solution

(a) 2 x = 10

Take logs of both sides. You can use logs to any base, but logs to base 10 is
probably easiest as you will use a calculator for the last step.

log 2 x = log10
x log 2 = log10
log10
x= = 3.32
log 2

(b) 32 x−1 = 4
log32 x−1 = log 4
(2 x − 1)log3 = log 4
log 4
2x − 1 =
log3
1  log 4 
x=  + 1 = 1.13
2  log3 

(c) 0.21− x = 2
log 0.21− x = log 2
(1 − x)log 0.2 = log 2
log 2
1− x =
log 0.2
log 2
x =1− = 1.43
log 0.2

OCR AS Maths: Exponentials and logarithms 1 © MEI 21/06/22

Notes and examples page 6 of 7 integralmaths.org
An old practical application of logarithms
Before calculators existed, logarithms were used to make calculations easier.
For example, suppose you had to divide 1432627 by 967253. You could do this by long
division, but it would take a long time and the chances of making a mistake would be quite
high. So you would apply the second law of logarithms:
log(1432627  967253) = log1432627 − log967253
To do the calculation, you would have to find the log to base 10 of the two numbers,
subtract the results, and then find the inverse log of the answer.
You would have to find the values of log 1432627 and log 967253 from a book of tables.
Unfortunately most tables would only tell you the values of log x for values of x between 10
and 99. So you would then use the fact that
log 1432627 = log(14.32627  100000)
= log14.32627 + log100000
= log14.32627 + 5
You would then use the tables to find the value of log 14.33 (which is as accurate as most
tables would give you). This would give a value for log 1432627 of 6.1562.
You would then go through a similar process to find log 967253.
log967253 = log96.7253 + log10000
= 1.9855 + 4
= 5.9855
Next you would subtract these two logarithms (without a calculator of course!), giving
0.1707.
Now you would have to find the number whose logarithm is 0.1707. Inverse log tables
usually give values between 1 and 10.
0.1707 = 1.1707 − 1
= log 14.81 − log 10
14.81
= log
10
= log1.481
So 1432627  967253 = 1.481
Most students did not understand the theory behind these calculations; they just followed a
set of instructions to use the tables of logarithms and work out the calculation. Even after
calculators became widely available, it was several years before this technique was
removed from examination syllabuses!
Logarithms were also the basis of slide rules, which were also used before calculators
existed to work out calculations quickly.

OCR AS Maths: Exponentials and logarithms 1 © MEI 21/06/22

Notes and examples page 7 of 7 integralmaths.org