AS-Level Maths:

Core 2
for Edexcel

C2.6 Exponentials
and logarithms
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 Exponential functions

Exponential functions
Contents

Logarithms
The laws of logarithms
Solving equations using logarithms
Examination-style questions

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Exponential functions

So far in this course we have looked at many functions

involving terms in xn.
In an exponential function, however, the variable is in the
index. For example:
y = 2x y = 5x y = 0.1x y = 3–x y = 7x+1
The general form of an exponential function to the base a is:

y = ax where a > 0 and a ≠1.

You have probably heard of exponential increase and decrease

or exponential growth and decay.
A quantity that changes exponentially either increases or
decreases increasingly rapidly as time goes on.

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Graphs of exponential functions

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Exponential functions

When a > 1 the graph of y = ax When 0 < a < 1 the graph of

has the following shape: y = ax has the following shape:
y y

1 1 (1, a)
(1, a)
x x

In both cases the graph passes through (0, 1) and (1, a).
This is because:
a0 = 1 and a1 = a
for all a > 0.

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 Logarithms

Exponential functions
Contents

Logarithms
The laws of logarithms
Solving equations using logarithms
Examination-style questions

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Logarithms

Find p if p3 = 343

We can solve this equation by finding the cube root of 343:

p = 3 343
p=7
Now, consider the following equation:

Find q if 3q = 343
We need to find the power of 3 that gives 343.
One way to tackle this is by trial and improvement.
Use the xy key on your calculator to find q to 2 decimal places.

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Logarithms

To avoid using trial and improvement we need to define the

power y to which a given base a must be raised to equal a
given number x.
This is defined as: y = loga x
“y is equal to the logarithm, to the base a, of x”

The expressions y = loga x and ay = x are interchangeable.

This can be written using the implication sign :

y = loga x  ay = x

For example, 25 = 32 can be written in logarithmic form as:

log2 32 = 5
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Logarithms

Taking a log and raising to a power are inverse operations.

We have that: y = loga x  ay = x

So: aloga x = x

Also: y = loga ay

For example:

7 log7 2
=2 and log3 36 = 6

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 The laws of logarithms

Exponential functions
Contents

Logarithms
The laws of logarithms
Solving equations using logarithms
Examination-style questions

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Some important results

When studying indices we found the following important

results:
a1 = a
This can be written in logarithmic form as:
loga a = 1
a0 = 1
This can be written in logarithmic form as:
loga 1 = 0
It is important to remember these results when manipulating
logarithms.

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The laws of logarithms

The laws of logarithms follow from the laws of indices:

The multiplication law
Let: m = loga x and n = loga y
So: x = am and y = an
 xy = am × an
Using the multiplication law for indices:
xy = am + n
Writing this in log form gives:
m + n = loga xy
But m = loga x and n = loga y so:

loga x + loga y = loga (xy)

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The laws of logarithms

The division law

Let: m = loga x and n = loga y
So: x = am and y = an
x am
 = n
y a
Using the division law for indices:
x
= a mn
y
Writing this in log form gives:
x
m  n  loga
y
But m = loga x and n = loga y so:
x
loga x  loga y  loga
y
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The laws of logarithms

The power law

Let: m = loga x
So: x = am
 xn =(am)n
Using the power law for indices:
xn =amn
Writing this in log form gives:
mn = loga xn
But m = loga x so:
n loga x = loga xn

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The laws of logarithms

These three laws can be used to combine several logarithms

written to the same base. For example:

Express 2loga 3 + loga 2 – 2loga 6 as a single logarithm.

2loga 3 + loga 2  2loga 6 = loga 32 + loga 2  loga 62

= loga 9 + loga 2  loga 36

 9×2 
= loga  
 36 
= loga 1
2

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The laws of logarithms

The laws of logarithms can also be used to break down a

single logarithm. For example:
1
2
ab 2

Express log10 4
in terms of log10 a, log10 b and log10 c.
c
1
2
ab 2
1
log10 4 = log10 a b  log10 c 4
2 2

c 1
= log10 a + log10 b  log10 c 4
2 2

= 2log10 a + 21 log10 b  4log10 c

Logarithms to the base 10 are usually written as log or lg.

We can therefore write this expression as:

2log a + 21 log b  4log c
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Logarithms to the base 10 and to the base e

Although the base of a logarithm can be any positive number,

there are only two bases that are commonly used.
These are:
Logarithms to the base 10
Logarithms to the base e
Logarithms to the base 10 are useful because our number
system is based on powers of 10.
They can be found by using the log key on a calculator.
Logarithms to the base e are called napierian or natural
logarithms and have many applications in maths and science.
They can be found by using the ln key on a calculator.

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Changing the base of a logarithm

Suppose we wish to calculate the value of log5 8.

We can’t calculate this directly using a calculator because it
only find logs to the base 10 or the base e.
We can change the base of the logarithm as follows:
Let x = log5 8
So: 5x = 8
Taking the log to the base 10 of both sides:
log 5x = log 8
x log 5 = log 8
log 8
x=
log 5
log 8
So: log5 8 = = 1.29 (to 3 sig. figs.)
log 5
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Changing the base of a logarithm

If we had used log to the base e instead we would have had:

ln 8
log5 8 = = 1.29 (to 3 sig. figs.)
ln 5
In general, to find loga b:
Let x = loga b, so we can write ax = b
Taking the log to the base c of both sides gives:
logc ax = logc b
xlogc a = logc b
logc b
x=
logc a
logc b
So: loga b =
logc a
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 Solving equations using logarithms

Exponential functions
Contents

Logarithms
The laws of logarithms
Solving equations using logarithms
Examination-style questions

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Solving equations involving logarithms

We can use the laws of logarithms to solve equations.

For example:
Solve log5 x + 2 = log5 10
To solve this equation we have to write the constant value 2 in
logarithmic form:
2 = 2 log5 5 because log5 5 = 1
= log5 52
= log5 25
The equation can now be written as:
log5 x + log5 25 = log5 10
log5 25x = log5 10
25x = 10
x = 0.4
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Solving equations of the form ax = b

We can use logarithms to solve equations of the form ax = b.

For example:
Find x to 3 significant figures if 52x = 30.

We can solve this by taking logs of both sides:

log 52x = log 30
2x log 5 = log 30
log 30
2x =
log 5
log 30
x=
2log 5
Using a calculator:
x = 1.06 (to 3 sig. figs.)
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Solving equations of the form ax = b

Find x to 3 significant figures if 43x+1 = 7x+2.

Taking logs of both sides:

log 43 x 1 = log 7 x  2
(3 x +1)log 4 = ( x + 2)log 7

3 x log 4 + log 4 = x log 7 + 2log 7

x(3log 4  log 7) = 2log 7  log 4

2log 7  log 4
x=
3log 4  log 7
x = 1.13 (to 3 sig. figs.)

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Solving equations of the form ax = b

Solve 32x –5(3x) + 4 = 0 to 3 significant figures.

If we let y = 3x we can write the equation as:
y2  5 y + 4 = 0
( y  1)( y  4) = 0
y = 1 or y = 4
So: 3 x = 1 or 3 x = 4
If 3x = 1 then x = 0.
Now, solving 3x = 4 by taking logs of both sides:
log 3 x = log 4
x log 3 = log 4
log 4
x=
log 3
x = 1.26 (to 3 sig. figs.)
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 Examination-style questions

Exponential functions
Contents

Logarithms
The laws of logarithms
Solving equations using logarithms
Examination-style questions

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Examination-style question

Julia starts a new job on a salary of £15 000 per annum. She
is promised that her salary will increase by 4.5% at the end of
each year. If she stays in the same job how long will it be
before she earns more than double her starting salary?

15 000 × 1.045n = 30 000

1.045n = 2
log 1.045n = log 2
n log 1.045 = log 2
log 2
n=  15.7
log 1.045
Julia’s starting salary will have doubled after 16 years.

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