FHMM 1114

General Mathematics I
Lecture Chapter 1
(Number and Set)
Part A
 Topics
 Real Numbers
 Set of Real Numbers
 Operations on Real Numbers
 Intervals
 Absolute Values (Modulus)
 Exponents and Logarithms
 Exponents
 Logarithms
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 Real Numbers
What number system have you been using most of
your life?
 The real number system.

A real number is any number that has a decimal

representation.

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 Set of Real Numbers
(i) Natural Numbers
Counting numbers (also called positive integers)
N = { 1, 2, 3, …… }
Whole Numbers:
W  {0}  N  {0,1, 2,3,}

(ii) Integers
Natural numbers, their negatives, and 0.
Z = {……, –2, –1, 0, 1, 2, ……}
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 Set of Real Numbers
(iii) Rational Numbers, Q
Numbers that can be represented as a b ,
where a and b are integers and b  0.
All rational number can be represented by:
(a) terminating decimal numbers
such as 5 2  2.5, 1 2  0.5,  3 4  0.75
(b) nonterminating repeating decimal numbers
such as  2 3  0.666..., 2 15  0.1333...

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 Set of Real Numbers
(iv) Irrational Numbers
Numbers which cannot be expressed as a ratio of
two integers. They are nonterminating &
nonrepeating decimal numbers.
I   2 , e ,  ,  

(v) Real Numbers, R

Rational and irrational numbers.

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Set of Real Numbers
R
Q I

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 Real Number Line

Origin

–8 –4 0 4 8

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
4
 53

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 Example 1.1

Change the rational number

0.141414… as a ratio of two
integers.

Answer

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 Example 1.2

Change the rational number

0.168168168 … as a ratio of
two integers.

Answer

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Operations on Real Numbers
(i) Commutative Law

* Addition : a  b  b  a

* Multiplication : a b  b a

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Operations on Real Numbers
(ii) Associative Law

* Addition : a  (b  c)  (a  b)  c

* Multiplication : a (bc)  ( ab)c

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Operations on Real Numbers
(iii) Distributive Law

(1) a (b  c)  ab  ac

(2) a(b  c)  ab  ac

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Operations on Real Numbers
(iv) Identity Law

* Addition : a  0  0  a  a
a + identity = a

* Multiplication : a  1  1 a  a
a  identity = a

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Operations on Real Numbers
(v) Inverse Law

*Addition : a  (  a )  ( a )  a  0
a + inverse = identity

*Multiplication : a  1
a  a  1
1
a

a  inverse = identity
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 Real Number Intervals
For any two different real numbers, a and b,
with a  b :

The open interval is defined as the set

(a, b)  {x : a  x  b}
The closed interval is defined as the set
[a, b]  {x : a  x  b}

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 Absolute Values
The absolute value (or modulus) of a real number, x
is denoted by x .

 x if x0
x 
  x if x0

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 Absolute Values

x  a  a  x  a

x  a  x  a , x  a

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 Example 1.3
Find the values of x if

(i)
2x  3  5
x2
(ii) 3
x
(iii) 3x  1  5

(iv) 5  2x  3
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 Exponents
For n a natural number (positive integer)
and a any real number,

a  a  a  a   a
n

where n is called the exponent and

a is called the base.

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 Properties of Exponents
For m, n  Q and a  R+,
mn
i. a  a  a
m n

mn
ii. a  a  a
m n

iii. (a )  a
m n mn

iv. a  1
0

n
v. 1
an
a
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 Exponential Equation
An equation with a variable in the exponent, called
an exponential equation.

Property :
** If a  0 , a  1, and a  a , then x  y.
x y

** If a  0 , a  1, and x  y , then a  a .
x y

Note : Both bases must be the same!!

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 Example 1.4
Solve (a)
9  27
x

2 x 1 x 3
(b)
32  128
x 9
(c) ( 0. 6) 
25

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 Example 1.5
Solve the equation

2x 3 x
(a) 2  5(2 )  32  0 .
2 x 1 x
(b) 5  6(5 )  1  0
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 Example 1.6
If 2  3  48 , show that pq  r ( 4q  p ) .
p q r

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 Natural Exponential Base
Definition of e :
n
 1
As m becomes larger and larger, 1   becomes
 n
closer and closer to the number e, whose approximate
value is 2.71828...
n
 1
e  lim 1  
n 
 n
Alternatively,

1 1 1 1 1 1
e        
0! 1! 2! 3! 4! k 0 k ! 26
 Natural Exponential Base
10

8
y  2x
6
y  3x
4
y  ex
2

0
-2 -1 0 1 2
x
x
** e is between 2 x and 3 x , because e is between 2 and 3.
** All three graphs have y-intercept (0, 1).
** For x  0 , the graphs show that 3  e  2 .
x x x

** For x  0 , the graphs show that 3 x  e x  2 x.

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 Logarithms
Definition of logarithm :
For a  0, a  1, and x  0,

xa n
means log a x  n

** 1  a  log a 1  0
0

** a  a 1
 log a a  1
When a=10 => common logarithm
When a=e => natural logarithm 28
 Properties of Logarithms

i. log a xy  log a x  log a y

ii. log a x
y  log a x  log a y

iii. log a x p
 p log a x

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Properties of Logarithms

log b c
iv. log a c 
log b a

1
v. log a b 
log b a

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 Example 1.7
(a) Solve log 2 x  log 2 ( x  3)  1.

(b) Find x in term of b, given that

log b 2 x  log b ( x  2b)  1

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 Example 1.8
Solve the equation

log (19 x  4)  2 log x  2  0.

2

Note: log x  lg x  log10 x

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 Example 1.9
Solve the equation

(a) log 2 x  log x 8  4

(b) log 4 x  12 log x 4  7
(c) log 3 x  4 log x 3
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 Example 1.10
Find the smallest integer of n such that
n
3(1  3 )  2.999.

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 Example 1.11
Given that
x  3 y
2
2 lg x y  3  lg x  lg y

Find the values of x and y.

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