Self Assessment Questions

Solutions

INDICES AND LOGARITHMS

EVALUATING INDICES AND LOGARITHMS

1. Use the rules of indices to simplify each of the following and where possible
evaluate:
2 6 2 −3
(i)
22
2 6− 3 23
= 2 = 2 3.2 −2 = 2 3−2 = 21 = 2
22 2

325−2
(ii)
52 3−1
325−2 2 1 −2 −2 2+1 −2 −2 3 −4 33 27
2 −1
= 3 3 5 5 = 3 5 = 3 5 = 4
=
53 5 625

5 a 5b
(iii)
5a
5 a 5b
a
= 5 a 5b 5 − a = 5 a + b − a = 5b
5

2Q 2 P
(iv)
QP −1
2Q 2 P
−1
= 2Q 2 P1Q −1 P1 = 2Q 2−1 P1+1 = 2QP 2
QP
2
⎛ 2 L−1 ⎞
(v) ⎜ ⎟
⎜ 4L ⎟
⎝ ⎠
2
⎛ 2 L−1 ⎞
⎜ ⎟ ⎛ 1 −1 2
⎜ 4 L ⎟ = ⎜⎝ 2 L 2 ( ) −1 −1 2
⎞ (
L ⎟ = 212 −2 L−1−1
⎠
) = (2
2 1−2 −2 2
L ) = (2 )
−1 −2 2
L = 2 −2 L−4 =
1
4 L4
⎝ ⎠

2 L0.8 K 0.2
(vi)
4K
2 L0.8 K 0.2
( ) L0.8 0.8
−1 −1 L L0.8
= 2 L0.8 K 0.2 K −1 2 2 = 212 −2 L0.8 K −0.8 = 21−2 = 2 =
4K K 0.8 K 0.8 2 K 0.8
2. Solve the following equations:
(i) log3(27) = x

3 x = 27
3 x = 33
x=3
(ii) log5(125) = x

5 x = 125
5 x = 53
x=3
(iii) 55 = (1.5)x
Take logs of both sides:

log 55 = log(1.5)x
log 55 = x log 1.5
log 55 1.74
x= = = 9.88
log 1.5 0.18

(iv) 102x-1 =1000

Take logs of both sides

log(10)2 x −1 = log 1000

(2 x − 1) log 10 = log 1000
log 1000 log 103 3 log 10
2x − 1 = = = =3
log 10 log 10 log 10
2x − 1 = 3
2x = 4
x=2
(v) 10 = 24ex
Use natural logs to solve
10
= ex
24
10
ln =x
24
ln 10 − ln 24 = x
2.30 − 3.18 = x
− 0.87 = x
(vi) 2ex = 8-ex
Use natural logs to solve
2e x + e x = 8
3e x = 8
8
ex =
3
8
ln =x
2
ln 8 − ln 3 = x
2.08 − 1.10 = 0.98 = x