TOPIC 1: INDICES, SURDS AND LOGARITHMS

INDICES
1. Evaluate
1 1
3 2
−2 −
1
2 2
 27  9 .8
1
−  100  1
(e) ( 2.56 )
2 3 −
(a)   (b) 27 3 (c)   (d)   2 (f) 1
2  9   8  22

1 27 9 5
Answers: (a) 4 (b) (c) (d) (e) (f) 6
3 1000 4 8
2. Simplify the following expressions
2 1
n n
(a) 8 3  16 4  4n (b) 5n +1  10n  23n  202 n (c) 6 2 n +3 • 8 n • 3 2 n

(d)
( )
3n +1 − 21 3n −1
(e)
2 2 n+ 4 − 24 • 2 2(n −1)
(f)
x −2 − 1
5 (3 )
n
10 2 n( ) 2
x −1

4 − (1 + x )
Answers: (a) 2 n (b) 5 (c) 34 n +3 25 n +3 (d) − (e) 1 (f)
5 x2

TOPICAL QUESTIONS DM015 2021/2022

 a +b b+c c+a
 xa   xb   xc 
3. If x  0 , show that  b   c  a = 1.
x  x  x 

SOLVING EQUATION INVOLVING INDICES

4. Solve the following equations
2x
1 1
(a)   = 125 (b) 32 x−1 =
5 27

TOPICAL QUESTIONS DM015 2021/2022

 83 x +1 = 322− x 166 − 2 x − 4 x = 0
2
(c) (d)

( )  1 
x
(e) 73 x = 49   (f) 8(22 x ) − 65(2 x ) + 8 = 0
 75 x 
(g) 52 x +1 − 24(5 x ) − 5 = 0 (h) 3(9 x ) − 26(3x ) − 9 = 0

3 1
Answers: (a) x = − (b) x = − 1 (c) x = (d) x = 2 , − 6
2 2
1
(e) x = , −2 (f) x = 3, −3 (g) x = 1 (h) x = 2
3
TOPICAL QUESTIONS DM015 2021/2022
SURDS
5. Express in terms of the simplest possible surds
(a) 8 (b) 50 (c) 200 (d) 125

Answers: (a) 2 2 (b) 5 2 (c) 10 2 (d) 5 5

6. Simplify
(a) 2(3 − 2 2) (b) ( 3 − 2)( 3 − 1)
(c) (3 3 − 2)(3 3 + 2) (d) (2 5 + 3)(3 5 − 2)

Answers: (a) 3 2 − 4 (b) 5 − 3 3 (c) 23 (d) 24 + 5 5

TOPICAL QUESTIONS DM015 2021/2022

7. Rationalize the denominators and simplify
3 2 1
(a) (b) (c)
2− 3 2 3 −3 3+ 2 5
1 1 x −1 9
(d) + (e) (f)
3 x+ y
2 +1 2 −1 x +1

2 2 5 −3
Answers: (a) 3(2+ 3) (b) (2 3+3) (c)
3 11
x − 2 x +1 9(3 x − y )
(d) 2 2 (e) (f )
x −1 9x − y

( ) ( )
2
8. (a) Express 3 5 − 3 in the form a b + c where a,b and c are integers.

125
(b) Simplify 54 + .
5

Answers: (a) 6(8 − 15) (b) 3 6 + 5

TOPICAL QUESTIONS DM015 2021/2022

9. (a) x+7 −2= x−5 (b) x − 1 + 2 x − 1 = 3x
(c) x − 2 − x +3 =1

3
Answers: (a) x = 9 (b) x = (c) 
2

LOGARITHMS
10. Express in log form
3
5
− 1
(a) 53 = 125 (b) 4 2 = 32 (c) 9 2 = (d) π 2 = 9.8696
27

11. Express in index form

1
(a) log 5 625 = 4 (b) log 1 4 = −2 (c) log 25 5 = (d) log a 5 = b
2
2

TOPICAL QUESTIONS DM015 2021/2022

12. Evaluate of the following without using a calculator.
(a) log 4 64 (b) log 10000 (c) log125 25 (d) log 8 0.5

2 1
Answers: (a) 3 (b) 4 (c) (d) −
3 3
13. Express in terms of log a, log b and log c.
a 2 a a3
(a) log (b) log a b (c) log (d) log
bc b 10

1 1
Answers: (a) log a − log b − log c (b) 2 log a + log b (c) log a − log b (d) 3log a − 1
2 2
TOPICAL QUESTIONS DM015 2021/2022
14. Simplify
1
(a) ln 2 + ln 6 − ln 4 (b) log 4 − log 6
2
1
(c) log 25 − 2 log 3 + 2 log 6 (d) 2 log 2 3 − log 2 18 + 3
2

1
Answers: (a) ln 3 (b) log (c) log 20 (d) 2
3

15. (a) 2 log 4 x + log x 4 = 3 (b) log 2 x 2 − log x x = 7

(c) 2 log 2 x3 − 2 log 2 x = 2 log 2 x + 6 (d) log10 x log 2 x = log10 x 2
(e) ln(4 x ) + ln x = ln 32 (f) ln( x − 4) − ln(5 − 3 x) = ln 2 − ln( x − 2)
2

1
(g) ln( x + 2) − ln   = ln(2 x + 1)
 x

TOPICAL QUESTIONS DM015 2021/2022

Answers: (a) x = 2, 4 (b) x = 16 (c) x = 4 (d) x = 1, 4 (e) x = 2

(f) x =  (g) x = 1

TOPICAL QUESTIONS DM015 2021/2022