Logarithms

Laws of logarithms

Product Rule
loga xy = loga x + loga y loga x + loga y = loga xy
Examples: log5 (3v5) = log5 3 + log5 5 log3 5 + log3 4 = log3 (5 v 4) = log3 20

Quotient Rule
x ) = log x log y log a ( a a y x) loga x loga y = loga ( y log5 20 log5 4 = log5 ( 20 ) 4 = log5 5 =1 16 ) = log3 16 log3 5 log3( 5

Power Rule
log xm = m log x m log x = log xm
logx 53 = 3 logx 5 4 log9 3 = log9 34 = log9 81 = log9 92 = 2 log9 9 =2

(log9 9 = 1)

Express the following s

single log rithms

loga 3 + loga 4 loga5 log 3 + log 4 log 5 = log (3 v 4) log 5 = log 12 log 5 = l
12 a 5

(Rule 1)

(Rule 2)

= log 2.4

Express the following as a single logarithms 5 log4 x 2 log4 + 3 log4 z

= log4 x5 log4
! log x y
4 5 2

+ log4 z3 (Rule 3)
(Rule 2) (Rule 1)

+ log4 z3

x5z3 = log4 2 y

Question:
Given that log2 3 = 1.58 and log2 5 = 2.32,
Find value of each of the following.

(a) log2 75 (b) log2 0.3 (c) log2 5

SOLUTION
Given that log2 3 = 1.58 and log2 5 = 2.32

(a) log2 75 = log2 [3v25] = log2 3 + log2 25 = log2 3 + log2 52 = log2 3 + 2 log2 5 = 1.58 + 2(2.32) = 6.22

Rule 1

Solution
(b) log2 0.3 = log2 (310) = log2 3  log2 10 Rule 2 = log2 3  [log2 (5v2)] = log2 3  [log2 5 + log2 2] = 1.58  (2.32 + 1) =  1.74 (c) log2 5 = (1/2) log2 5 = (1/2)(2.32)

CHANGE OF BASE
Change of base-a to base c is as follows: loga b = logc b

logc

For example, to change log4 8 to base-2 log4 8 = l

8 l 24
2

l ! l

23 2 ! 3 22 2 2

EXAMPLE
Evaluate log5 12.
log1012 log5 12 = log 5 10
Use calculator
Use at least 4 significant figures

1.0792 ! 0.6990

! 1.544

CHANGE OF BASE
Change of base-a to base b is as follows:

logb b loga b = logb a 1 ! logb a

For example, to change log32 2 to base-2

1 log32 2 = log2 32

1 1 ! ! 5 5 log2 2

EXERCISE
Given that log2 5 = 2.32 find the value for each of the following without using calculator. ( without changing to base-10) (a) log5 4 (b) log5 2 (c) log4 50

Given that log2 5 = 2.32

log 2 4 (a) log5 4 ! log 2 5
log 2 2 2 ! log 2 5
Change to base-2

2 ! log2 5

Rule 3

! 2 2.32
=0.8621

1 (b) log5 2 = log 5 ! 1 =0.431 2.32 2

(c) log4 50 ! l
2 50

l 24 log2( 2 v 25) ! log2 22 l 2 2l ! 2

52 2

1 2log2 5 ! 2
! 1 l 25 2 ! 0.5  2.32 =2.82