Chapter 1: Number System

1.3 Indices, Surds and

Logarithms
Prepared by: kwkang
 Learning Outcomes
(a) Express the rules of indices
(b) Explain the meaning of a surd and its
conjugate
(c) Perform algebraic operations on surds
(d) Express the laws of logarithms such as:
(i) log a MN  log a M  log a N
M
(ii) log a  log a M  log a N
N
(iii) log a M N  N log a M kwkang@KMK
 Learning Outcomes
(d) Express the laws of logarithms such as:
(i) log a MN  log a M  log a N
(ii) log a M  log a M  log a N
N
(iii) a
log M N
 N log a M
(e) Change the base of logarithm using
log b M
log a M 
log b a

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 Indices
a  a  a  a  ... a
n Rules of indices

n factors
1. a m  a n  a m  n
mn
index
2. a  a  a
m n

mn
3. (a )  a
n m n
a
base

Bloom: Remembering
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 Indices

Zero index Negative index

a  1, a  0
0 n 1
a  n ,a  0
a

Rational index
 a
1 m
m
a  a
n n
a 
n n

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 Example
Evaluate each of the following without using
calculator.
2
(a)
27 3
5  25
5 3
(b) 4
125

Bloom: Understanding
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 Solution
(a) 27  3
2
3

2
3 3 (b) 5  25
5 3

5 5
5
 
2 3

2
3 3
125 4
5 
3 4

3
55  5 6
 12
 32 5
9  55 612
 5 1
1

5

kwkang@KMK Bloom: Understanding

 Surds
Conjugate surds

a b and a b are conjugate surds.

Product of a pair of conjugate surds is a rational number

 a b  a b    a    b   a  b Q
2 2

Bloom: Remembering
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 Surds
Operations on surds

1. ab  a  b 4. m  n a  mn a

a a
2.  5. m a  n a  (m  n) a
b b

3. a a   a  a
2
6. m a  n a  (m  n) a

Bloom: Remembering
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 Surds
Rationalising denominators

b
Division by surds of the form can be simplified by
a
a a
multiplying it with (writing 1 as ).
a a
 Also known as process of eliminating the surd in the
denominator of a fraction.

Bloom: Remembering
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 Example
(1) Simplify
(a) 20 (b) 13 2 2
(2) Express 75  4 3 in the form of a b .

(3) Simplify 7 2  11 3  3 2  5 3  .

3 1
(4) Express with a rational denominator.
3 1
Bloom: Understanding
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 Solution
(1) (a) 20  4  5 (2) 75  4 3
 25  3  4 3
 4 5
 25  3  4 3
 2 5
5 34 3
2 5
 (5  4) 3
(b) 13  2 2  13  2 2 9 3
 26 2

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 Solution
(3) 7 2  11 3  3 2  5 3 

 7 2  11 3  3 2  5 3

  
 7 2  3 2  11 3  5 3 
 10 2  6 3

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 Solution
(4) 3 1 3 1 3 1
  42 3
3 1 3 1 3 1 
2


 3  2 3 1
2
 2 3
 3  1
2 2

3  2 3 1

3 1

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 Logarithms
Index form Logarithmic form
b a x
log a b  x
Important results
1. a loga b  b 5. log 10  1
2. log a 1  0 6. ln e  1
3. log a a  1

Bloom: Remembering
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 Logarithms

Laws of logarithms

1. log a MN  log a M  log a N

M
2. log a  log a M  log a N
N
3. log M N  N log M
a a

Learning Tip: If log x  log y , then x  y .

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 Example
(1) Express log xyz2 in terms of log x , log y
and log z .
(2) Evaluate log 2 128 .
(3) Express log a 3xy  5 log a y  2 as a single
logarithm.
(4) Calculate the value of log 4 30.

kwkang@KMK Bloom: Understanding

 Solution
(1) log xyz 2  log x  log y  log z 2
 log x  log y  2 log z
(2) log 2 128  log 2 27
 7 log 2 2
 71
7

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 Solution
(3) log a 3xy  5 log a y  2
 log a 3xy  log a y 5  log a a 2
3xy  a 2
 log a
y5
2
3xa
 log a 4
y
log 10 30 1.4771
(4) log 4 30    2.453
log 10 4 0.6021
kwkang@KMK Bloom: Understanding
 Self-check
(1) By using the rules of indices, evaluate

 
1 1
3  .
3  27  3
4 4

(2) Simplify
(a) 49 (b) 5 3  8 3
100
(3) Express 25 7  6 63 in the form of a b .

Bloom: Applying
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 Self-check
  
(4) Simplify 18 10  6 7  9 10  13 7 . 
(5) Express 8 5  2 with a rational
52 2

denominator.

Bloom: Applying
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 Self-check
(6) Express log y in term of log x , log y and
xz
log z .
(7) Evaluate log 6 48  2 log 6 2  log 6 3 .

1
(8) If log 2 p  3  log 2 q , show that pq 2
 64 .
2

(9) Calculate the of log 81 3 without using

calculator.
Bloom: Applying
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 Answer Self-check
(1) 9

(2) (a) 7 (b) 120

10

(3) 7 7

(4) 9 10  19 7

Bloom: Applying
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 Answer Self-check
(5) 17 10  44
3

(6) 1 log y  log x  log z 

2

(7) 2

1
(9)
4
Bloom: Applying
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 Summary

Law of Law of
Logarithms Indices
Indices, Surd
𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑎 𝑥𝑦 = 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑎 𝑥 + 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑎 𝑦 and 𝑥 𝑚 ∙ 𝑥 𝑛 = 𝑥 𝑚+𝑛
𝑥 𝑥 𝑚 ÷ 𝑥 𝑛 = 𝑥 𝑚−𝑛
𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑎 = 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑎 𝑥 − 𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑎 𝑦 Logarithms
𝑦 𝑥 𝑚 𝑛 = 𝑥 𝑚𝑛
𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑎 𝑥 𝑏 = 𝑏𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑎 𝑥 𝑥0 = 1
𝑛
𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑎 𝑎 = 1 𝑥 𝑥𝑛
𝑎𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑎𝑥 = 𝑥 = 𝑛
Surd 𝑦 𝑦
𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑏 𝑥 1
𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑎 𝑥 = 𝑥 −𝑛 = 𝑛
𝑙𝑜𝑔𝑏 𝑎 𝑥
𝑝 ∙ 𝑞 = 𝑝𝑞 1
𝑥𝑛 = 𝑛 𝑥
𝑝 𝑝 𝑚
= 𝑥𝑛 = 𝑛
𝑥 𝑚
𝑞 𝑞
𝑝 𝑟±𝑞 𝑟 = 𝑝±𝑞 𝑟
kwkang@KMK Bloom: Remembering
 Key Terms
• Indeces
• Zero index
• Negative index
• Rational index
• Surd
• Rationalising denominators
• Conjugate surds
• Logarithms

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