Chapter 4

Indices, Surds and Logarithm

Exponents

n
a
 Exponents
• An exponent refers to the number of times a number is
multiplied by itself. For example, 2 to the 3rd (written like
this: 23) means: 2 x 2 x 2 = 8.
 Exponents

(a  a  a  .......)
 Exponent rules
• zero power rule
• product of power rule
• quotient of power rule
• power of power rule
• power of product rule
• power of quotient rule
• negative exponent rule
Zero Power Rule

a 1
0
Product of Power Rule

m n
a a  a
m n
quotient of power rule

mn
a a  a
m n
 power of power rule

(a )  a
m n mn
 power of product rule

(ab)  a b
n n n
power of quotient rule

n
a n a
( )  n
b b
negative exponent rule

n 1
a  n
a
 Concept of rational and irrational number
• A number is described as rational if it can be written as a fraction
(one integer divided by another integer). The decimal form of a
rational number is either a terminating or a recurring decimal.
Examples of rational numbers are 17, -3 and 12.4. Other
examples of rational numbers are 5/4=1.25(terminating decimal)
and 2/3=0.6(recurring decimal).
• A number is irrational if it cannot be written as a fraction. The
decimal form of an irrational number does not terminate or recur.
Examples of irrational numbers are pi= 3.14159… and √2 =
1.414213...
Surds

a
 Surds
• A surd is an expression that includes a square root, cube
root or other root symbol. Surds are used to write
irrational numbers precisely – because the decimals of
irrational numbers do not terminate or recur, they cannot
be written exactly in decimal form.
• Every rational number is not a surd.
• Every irrational number is a surd.
 Surd rules
• product of surd rule
• quotient of surd rule
• surd-power rule
• rationalise denominator rule
product of surd rule

a  b  ab
quotient of surd rule

a a

b b
 surd-power rule

 a
b
b
a
rationalise denominator rule

a ab

b b
rationalise denominator rule

a a (b  c)

b  c (b  c )(b  c )

a a (b  c )

b c ( b  c )( b  c )
 Practice
• Simplify the following • Find the answers:
surds: • √12-√27
• √8 • √48+√12
• √8∙√4
• √18
• √18/√9
 Practice
• Simplify
• 11/6-2√5

Find the exact area and perimeter of this

shape.
 Logarithm
• A logarithm is the opposite of a power. In other words, if
we take a logarithm of a number, we undo an
exponentiation.
• Let's start with simple example. If we take the base b=2
and raise it to the power of k=3, we have the expression
2^3. The result is some number, we'll call it c, defined by
2^3=c. We can use the rules of exponentiation to
calculate that the result is
• c=2^3=8.
 Logarithm
• Let's say I didn't tell you what the exponent k was.
Instead, I told that the base was b=2 and the final result of
the exponentiation was c=8. To calculate the exponent k,
you need to solve
• 2^k=8.
• A logarithm is a function that does all this work for you.
We define one type of logarithm (called “log base 2” and
denoted log_2) to be the solution to the problems I just
asked. Log base 2 is defined so that
• log_2c=k
 Logarithm rules
• product rule
• quotient rule
• log of a power rule
• log of base rule
• log of one rule
• log reciprocal rule
• base-changing rule
 Product rule

log a  log b  log ab

 quotient rule

a
log a  log b  log
b
 log of a power rule

log a  n log a
n
 log of base rule

log a a  1
 log of one rule

log a 1  0
 log reciprocal rule

1
  log a
log a
 base-changing rule

log c b
log a b 
log c a