Maths Learning Service: Revision

Logarithms Mathematics IMA

You are already familiar with some uses of powers or indices. For example:

104 = 10 × 10 × 10 × 10 = 10, 000

23 = 2×2×2=8
1 1
3−2 = 2
=
3 9

Logarithms pose a related question. The statement

log10 100

asks “what power of 10 gives us 100?” The answer is clearly 2, so we would write

log10 100 = 2.

Similarly
log10 10, 000 = 4 and log2 8 = 3

In general:

ax = b ⇔ loga b = x

The number appearing as the subscript of the log is called the base so “log10 ” is read as
“logarithm to base 10”. The two most common bases you will encounter are 10 and the
exponential base e = 2.71828 . . .. (The letter e is used in place of this inconvenient infinite
decimal value.) Your calculator will work out both of these types of logs for you. On most
calculators log10 appears as log and loge appears as ln . (The related operations of 10x and
ex are usually “second functions” on the same key).

Exercises
(1) Find without using a calculator:
(a) log10 1000 (b) log4 16 (c) log2 64
(d) log3 27 (e) log9 81 (f) loge e2
(g) Check (a) and (f) on the calculator.
(2) Solve the following equations:
(a) log10 x = 5 (b) log2 y = 5 (c) log3 z = 4
(3) Find without using a calculator:
(a) log10 10 (b) log4 1 (c) log10 0.1
1
(d) log2 0.25 (e) log10 1 (f) loge e2

(g) Check (a), (c), (e) and (f) on the calculator.

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Laws of Logarithms
Given the link between indices and logarithms, we should be able to derive laws for logarithms
based on the index laws.
Consider the following argument:
The definition of a logarithm allows us to write the number A as blogb A for some base b.
Similarly, we could write

B = blogb B
and A × B = blogb (A×B) (1)

On the other hand, using the index laws, we get

A × B = blogb A × blogb B = b(logb A+logb B) .

Comparing this expression for A × B with (1) we have

A × B = blogb A+logb B = blogb (A×B) .

Since the bases are the same,

logb A + logb B = logb (A × B)

By similar arguments the Laws of Logarithms are as follows:

logb A + logb B = logb (A × B)

A
 
logb A − logb B = logb
B
logb (An ) = n logb A

Here are a few examples where these laws can be used to solve equations.
(a) Find x such that 2 logb 4 − 3 logb 2 + logb 2 = logb x.

logb (42 ) − logb (23 ) + logb 2 = logb x

logb 16 − log
 b 8 + logb 2 = logb x
16
logb 8 + logb 2 = logb x
 
16×2
logb 8
= logb x
logb 4 = logb x
so x = 4.

 t

(b) Find t such that 1000 = 100 2 5 .
Logarithms 2008 Mathematics IMA Revision/3
t
10 = 2 5  
t
log10 10 = log10 2 5 (or any other base, such as e)
t
1 =
log10 2
5
5
t =
log10 2
5
=
0.30103
= 16.609 . . .

(c) In the previous example we chose log10 since this made log10 10 very easy and log10 2 could
be found on a calculator. If we had used log2 we would have had to find log2 10, for which
there is no calculator button.
It is possible to find logs to any base by noting the following argument:

Let y = loga b ⇔ ay = b
ln (ay ) = ln b
y ln a = ln b
ln b
y = .
ln a

(Using log10 works just as well of course.) For example

ln 8 log10 8
log2 8 = =
ln 2 log10 2
2.07944 . . . 0.9031 . . .
= =
0.69314 . . . 0.3010 . . .
= 3 = 3.

Exercises
(4) Express as a single logarithm:
(a) logb 8 − logb 2  (b) 2 logb 3 + logb 2 (c) 1 − log10 4
(d) logb a + logb a1

(5) Write in terms of logb 2 and logb 3:

(a) logb 6 (b) logb 8 (c) logb 24
(6) Find, using a calculator (to 4 decimal places):
(a) log2 6 (b) log3 8 (c) log3 1000 (d) log3 100, 000
(e) log3 0.001 (f) log3 0.00001 (g) log3 1
(7) Solve for x:
 x

(a) 9 = 10 2− 1620 (b) 35x+2 = 10
Logarithms 2008 Mathematics IMA Revision/4

Answers to Exercises

(1) (a) 3 (b) 2 (c) 6 (d) 3 (e) 2 (f) 2

(2) (a) x = 105 = 100, 000 (b) y = 25 = 32 (c) z = 34 = 81

(3) (a) 1 (b) 0 (c) −1 (d) −2 (e) 0 (f) −2

5
 
(4) (a) logb 4 (b) logb 18 (c) log10 (d) logb 1 = 0
2
(5) (a) logb 2 + logb 3 (b) 3 logb 2 (c) 3 logb 2 + logb 3

(6) (a) 2.5850 (b) 1.8928 (c) 6.2877 (d) 10.4795 (e) −6.2877

(f) −10.4795 (g) 0

(7) (a) 246.245 (b) 0.01918