P Benson

Apr 2007

Solving Equations Involving Logarithms

We have seen previously the definition of logarithms and how to solve equations to find the base, the power or the number. For example, to find

log 2 16 means 2 x = 16 so the answer is obviously 4 as 2 4 = 16.

However sometimes it is not as obvious as the answer may be a decimal. For these equations we need to use logarithms. EXAMPLES: 1) Solve

2x = 5

2)

Find the value of x for

5 x1 = 4

3)

Solve

32x1 = 4

This method of taking logarithms of both sides is used when we need to solve an equation where the unknown letter is the power.