Mathematics interlude #1

In-class problems

1. Evaluate (warming up do not use a calculator)

2

10 5
10 3 10 3 10 2

(a) 3 3 9 3

(b) 9 4 9 4

(c)

1
(d) log 2
10

10 5
(e) log
10 7

(f) log10

log10 4

2. Solve for x:
(a)

log8 x log8 2

(d)

1.65 0.86

1
3

(b)

log12 x log12 4 2

(c)

ln

20
2.28
x

0.0592
1
0.0592
1
log 0.76
log

x
2
2
0.05

3. Can you prove these statements using properties of logarithms?

(a)

2 ln 4e 3 ln 16e 6

(b)

ln e6 ln e6

(c)

B
Cm B
C
log m log
nm
D
n
D

4. Biologists studying salmon have found that the oxygen consumption of yearling salmon (in units of mg of
oxygen per kg of body mass per hour) increases exponentially with the speed of swimming according to the
function:

f ( x) 100e 0.6 x where x is the speed in feet per second. Find each of the following
(a) The oxygen consumption when the fish is not moving.
(b) The oxygen consumption at a speed of 2 ft/s.
(c) If a salmon is swimming at 2 ft/s, how much faster does it need to swim to double its oxygen consumption.
5. Consider this relationship: k Ae a
This is called the Arrhenius equation, and the terms are: k rate constant, A frequency, or pre-exponential, factor
(the Arrhenius constant), Ea activation energy (J mol1), R universal gas constant (8.314 J K1mol1), T
absolute temperature (K). For many chemical reactions Ea is known, but A is usually not determined. You will
learn the meaning of some of these terms later this semester (Chemical Kinetics, p. 22).
E

RT

For now, lets re-write this function as: y Ae

B Rx

For a given process (B = 71409), it is known that, when x1 = 290, y1 = 0.09.

Given that information, what is the value of y2, when x2 is 298?
If you have solved/are planning to solve the problem by first finding the value of A, here is the challenge: try to you
solve it WITHOUT finding A. That is what we will be doing in Chemical Kinetics. For reasons that will become
clearer later.
Stuck? Look on the next page for some hints [try to resist looking before really attempting to do it yourself or
together with your classmates].

Hint 1. Use a linear (logarithmic) form of this equation (review the section about linearization of data on the
Mathematics interlude #1 revision sheet).
Hint 2. Write the linear form for two pairs of data points (x1,y1 and x2,y2). Manipulate them using the logarithmic
laws to eliminate the term A.