TEACHING NOTES

LOGARITHM
1ST LECTURE
Good morning / evening .............
1. Emphasis to gear up in a definite schedule. Talk for about 10 - 15 minutes about their
do's and dont's, managing things with consistency, strictly avoiding sleeping in day time
and hiding ignorances from the teachers in their own interest.
2. Books and general recommendation about the various registers to be made. How to
keep records so that things are available as and when required for revision. Working on
loose sheets to be discouraged. Squares up to 30, cubes up to 12 and tables upto 19 to
be remembered for all times to come and use then in day to day practice.

To start with : We begin with

3. Explain historical development of Number system :
NWIQRZ
Also spell positive, negative, non positive & non negative reals, primes, composite,
relatively prime and twin primes. Emphasis that
" 1 is neither a prime nor a composite" Now start with notion of logarithms.
Definition : Every positive real number N can be expressed in exponential form as
N = ax ....(1)
where 'a' is also a positive real different than unity and is called the base and 'x' is called
the exponent.
We can write the relation (1) in logarithmic form as
logaN = x ....(2)
Hence the two relations
ax  N
and log a N  x 
are identical where N > 0, a > 0, a  1 [Discuss logx – 1 (2x + 1)]
Hence logarithm of a number to some base is the exponent by which the base must be
raised in order to get that number. Logarithm of zero does not exist and logarithm of
(–) ve reals are not defined in the system of real numbers.
Asking: log1/216; log16 32; log8 16; log8127; log1/31/9 ; log1/3 9 3 ; log 2 3
1728 ;
log2(cos 45°);  log2(log24); log3(tan 30°) ; log625125'
Note that :
(a) Unity has been excluded from the base of the logarithm as in this case
log1N will not be possible and if N = 1
then log11 will have infinitely many solutions and log11 will not be unique
which is necessary in the functional notation.
log N
(b) a a = N is an identify for all N > 0 and a > 0, a  1 e.g. 2log2 5 = 5
(c) The number N in (2) is called the antilog of 'x' to the base 'a'. Hence
If log2512 is 9 then antilog29 is equal to 29 = 512
Using the basic definition of log we have 3 important deductions :
(a) logNN = 1 i.e. logarithm of a number to the same base is 1.

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 
(b) log N = – 1  i.e. logarithm of a number to its reciprocal is – 1.
1 
N 
(c) loga1 = 0  i.e. logarithm of unity to any base is zero.
(basic constraints on number and base must be observed.)
Examples :
(a) (i) logsin30°(cos 60°) = 1 ; (ii) log 4 3 (1. 3 )  1 ; (iii) log (2  3 ) = – 1 ;
2 3

(iv) Prove that : log5 5· 5· 5· 5.... = 1.

(v) log0.125(8) = – 1; (vi) log1.5 (0.6) = – 1; (vii) log2.25( 0.4 ) = – 1; (viii) log10( 0. 9 )=0
(b) (i) log10(cos 0°) = 0 ; (ii) log2(sin2x + cos2x) = 0
(iii) log tan 1° · log tan 2° ·log tan 3°...............log tan 89° = 0
(iv) log sin 1° · log sin 2° ·log sin 3°...............log tan 90° = 0
(c) Solve : 7 log 7 x + 2x + 9 = 0. [Ans. No solution]

General examples : (May be asked from the class)

3
(a) (i) log2 8 [Ans. ] ; (ii) log 3 (2401) [Ans. 12]; (iii) log (125) [Ans. 2]
2 7 5 5
3
(iv) Find log2[log2{log3(log327 )}] [Ans. 0]
1
(b) (i) log 9 (0. 1 ) = log 1   [Ans. – 18]; (ii) logsec(cos3), a(0, /2) [Ans. – 3]
3
9
9
3

 1  2
(c) anti log 1 
  = 10; anti log8   = 4 [Ans. (82/3) = 4]
 2  3
100
Note : It must be noted that whenever the number and the base are on the same side of
unity then logarithm of that number to that base is (+ve), however if the number and the
base are located on different side of unity then logarithm of that number to that base is
(– ve).
1 1
e.g. log10 3 10 = ; log 49 = 4 ; log 1   = 3 ;
3 7 8
2

 1 
log 2   = –5 ; log10(0.001) = – 3
 32 
4. The principal properties of logarithms :
If m, n are arbitrary positive numbers where, a > 0, a  1 and x is any real number, then
(1) logamn = logam + logan 
m 
(2) loga = logam – logan  (Proofs are to be given)
n 
(3) logamx = x logam 
while using these theorems make a note that log2x2 = 4 and
2 log2x = 4 or the equation log2(x2 – 1) = 3 and log2(x + 1) + log2(x – 1) = 3 will not
have the same solution.
(4) Base changing theorem : Can be stated as "quotient of the logarithm of two numbers
is independent of their common base."
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 log c a
Symbolically, log c b = logba (proof to be given)

log a log b 1
Now consider logba · logab = · = 1 ; hence logba = .
log b log a log a b
We note that the number and the base gets interchanged as the logarithm of a number is
taken from Nr to Dr or Dr to Nr.
log a log b log c log a
Also logba · logcb · logdc = · · = = logda
log b log c log d log d

log b c log a c · log b a log a c log b a log b a

hence logba = logca · logbc and a a   a  c
 
Asking:
(a) A = log11( 11log11 1331 ); B = log 385 5  log 385 7  log 385 11 ; C = log 4 log 2 (log 5 625)  ;
log100 16 AB
D = 10 . Find the value of . [Ans. 3/2]
CD
log x 2 2 log x
(b) Solve : (i) 2 2  3x  4  0 ; (ii) 2 2  3x  4  0 .
st
Whereas 1 equation has x = 4 and x = 1 as its solutions but x = 4 only is the solution
of 2nd.
1 log 2 6
log 3 7 
1 1  log 7 1 1 1
(c)  
log 3 2
= ; (d) 2 1 2 = 7; (e) (8) = ; (f)   =
9 49 27 4 36
EXAMPLES:
(1) Find the value of log210 – log8125 [Ans. 1 ]
(2) If log23 · log34 · log45 ............. logn(n + 1) = 10, find n. [Ans. 1823]
log b x log b a
Very Important: a x
e.g. Simplify : 7 log 3 5  3log 5 7  5log 3 7  7log 5 3 [Ans. 0]

EXAMPLES :
16 25 81
Ex.1 Prove that : log 2 + 16 log + 12 log + 7 log =1
15 24 80
Ex.2 Prove that : log tan 1° + log tan 2° + ....... + log tan 89° = 0
1 2 3
Ex.3 Prove that : log 2  log 4  log 8 = 0
3 9 27
2 log 2 x log 2 a
Ex.4 (a) Let a > 1 be a real number. Solve a = 5 + 4x .
2  log a 4 log a 2
(b) Solve for a, a = a2 + 27. [Ans. (a) x = 5 ; (b) a = 3]
log 2 3 log 3 2
Ex.5 Prove that : 2 =3
log3 12 log3 4
Ex.6 Prove that : log 3 
36
log108 3 = 2

Ex.7 If a > 0, c > 0, b = ac , a , a, c and ac  1, N > 0 then prove that

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 loga N log a N  log b N

log c N log b N  log c N
Ex.8 (a) Find the value of log54(168) if log712 = a and log1224 = b.
14ab 2a  2ab  1
[Ans. (a) a (8  5b ) , ]
ab  b  1
(b) If log630 = a and log1524 = b then find log1260.
(c) If log6(15)= and log12(18)=, then compute the value of log25(24) in terms of
 & .
Ex.9 (a) If a = log35 and b = log1725 find whether a < b ; a = b or a > b (a > b is T)
(b) Prove that : log3 + log3 > 2
5 log 2 3
1 5 log 2 3 10
Asking: (i) 3 log 3 2 ; (ii)   =4 = 2log 2 3 = 310
 4
log 3 5 1
(iii) (0.5)
log1 2 5
= 5; (iv) 1 =
 
3 5
5. Logarithmic equations : (Elementary)
Solve the following logarithmic equations:
log 7 x log 2 (9  2 x )
(a) x2 + 7 –2=0 [Ans. x = 1] (b) = 1 [Ans. no solution]
x 3
log ( x 1)
(c) ( x  1) 10 = 100(x + 1) [Ans. x = 99 ; x = – 0.9]
(d) logx – 1(4) = 1 + log2(x – 1) [Ans. x = 5/4 , 3]
log 32 x log 3 x
Very Important (e) 3 x = 162 [Ans. x = 9 or 1/9]
1 (log 4 x ) (log1 4 x ) 1 26
(f) 5 +5 = x = 1, 1/16
5
1 1 1
(g) log 5 (51 x  125) = log5(6) + 1 + . [Ans. x = , ]
2x 2 4
(if it is x 5 then no solution)
1
(h) log 4 (2 log3 (1  log 2 (1  3 log 2 x ))) = [Ans. x = 2]
2
(i) Prove that : log27 is irrational. [JEE' 90, 2]
6. Common and natural logarithm :
log10N is referred as a common logarithm and logeN is called as natural logarithm or
logarithm of N to the base Napierian and is popularly written as ln N. Note that e is an
irrational quantity lying between 2.7 to 2.8 which you will study later.
7. Characteristic and Mantissa :
We observe that log1010 = 1 and log10100 = 2.
Hence logarithm of a number lying between 10 to 100 = 1 + a positive quantity
|||ly log10(0.1) = – 1 and log10(0.01) = – 2
hence log (a number between 0.01 to 0.1) = – 2 + a positive quantity
Hence the common logarithm of a number consists of two parts, integral and fractional,

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 of which the integral part may be zero or an integer (+ve or –ve) and the fractional part,
a decimal, less than one and always positive.
The integral part is called the characteristic and the decimal part is called the mantissa.
e.g. log1033.8 = 1.5289
log100.338 = – 1 + 0.5289 = 1 .5289
It should be noted that, if the characteristic of the logarithm of N is
1  that N has two significant digits before decimal.
2  that N has three significant digits before decimal.
(Hence number of significant digit in N = p + 1 if p is the non negative characteristic of
log N.)
|||ly if characteristic
–1  N has no zeros after decimal before a significant digit starts
–2  N has 1 zero after decimal before a significant digit starts and so on.

Example :
Using log 2 = 0.3010 and log 3 = 0.4771, and log 7 = 0.8451
(a) Find the number of digits
(i) (2.5)200 [Ans. 80] ; (ii) 650 ; (iii) 312 × 28 [Ans. 9] ; (iv) 525 [Ans. 18]
(b) Find the number of zeros after decimal before a significant figure start in
100
9 1
(i)   [Ans. 5] ; (ii) 3–50 ; (iii) (0.35)12 [Ans. 5]; (iv) [Ans. 12]
8 2 40
8. Absolute value function:

 x if x  0
y= |x |= 
  x if x  0
General Note : Equations of the form
[a(x)]b(x) = [a(x)]c(x) (Variable exponent on a variable base)
with the set of permissible values defined by the condition a(x) > 0, can be reduced to
the equivalent equation
b(x) logd[a(x)] = c(x) logd[a(x)]
by taking logarithms of its both sides. The last equation is equivalent to two equations.
logd[a(x)] = 0, b(x) = c(x).
2
1 3x 1 1
e.g. | x  2 |10 x = |x 2| [Ans. – , , 1, 3]
5 2
Examples :
Solve for x :
(a) | 3x – 2 | + x = 11 (b) |x|–|x–2|=2
2 1
10 x 3
(c) | x  3 |3 x =1 [Ans. , 2, 4. (note there x = 3 (rejectedas 00 is not defined]
3

(d) log4(x2 – 1) – log4(x – 1)2 = log 4 (4  x )2 [Ans. {3 + 6 }]

4
(e) 2 log8(2x) + log8(x2 + 1 – 2x) = [Ans. {2}]
3
(f) 2 log3(x – 2) + log3(x – 4)2 = 0 [Ans. {3, 3  2 }]
(g) Least value of x satisfying | x – 3 | + 2 | x + 1 | = 4. [Ans. – 1]
3. INEQUALITIES IN LOGARITHM : (Brief idea is to be given)

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(i) For a > 1 the inequality 0 < x < y & loga x < loga y are equivalent.
(ii) For 0 < a < 1 the inequality 0 < x < y & loga x > loga y are equivalent.
(iii) If a > 1 then loga x < p  0 < x < ap
(iv) If a > 1 then logax > p  x > ap
(v) If 0 < a < 1 then loga x < p  x > ap
(vi) If 0 < a < 1 then logax > p  0 < x < ap
Tougher applications on Logarithms :
1
(1) log3x+7(9 + 12x + 4x2) + log2x + 3(6x2 + 23x + 21) = 4 [Ans. x = – ]
4
(3 4 )(log 2 x ) 2  log 2 x  (5 4) 1 1
(2) Solve the equation : x  2 [Ans. x = 2, , ]
4 21 3
log 3 x 2  2 log x 9
(3) | x  1| = (x – 1)7 [Ans. x = 2 or 81]

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