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Mastering Exponential and Logarithmic Equations for College Algebra Success

Learn how to solve exponential and logarithmic equations for college algebra success. Understand the techniques and guidelines to master these equations both algebraically and graphically. Practice problems included.

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Mastering Exponential and Logarithmic Equations for College Algebra Success

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  1. College Algebra Fifth Edition James StewartLothar RedlinSaleem Watson

  2. Exponential and Logarithmic Functions 5

  3. Exponential and Logarithmic Equations 5.4

  4. Exponential and Logarithmic Equations • In this section, we solve equations that involve exponential or logarithmic functions. • The techniques we develop here will be used in the next section for solving applied problems.

  5. Exponential Equations

  6. Exponential Equations • An exponential equationis one in which the variable occurs in the exponent. • For example, 2x = 7

  7. Solving Exponential Equations • The variable x presents a difficulty because it is in the exponent. • To deal with this difficulty, we take the logarithm of each side and then use the Laws of Logarithms to “bring down x” from the exponent.

  8. Solving Exponential Equations • Law 3 of the Laws of Logarithms says that: logaAC =C logaA

  9. Solving Exponential Equations • The method we used to solve 2x = 7 is typical of how we solve exponential equations in general.

  10. Guidelines for Solving Exponential Equations • Isolate the exponential expression on one side of the equation. • Take the logarithm of each side, and then use the Laws of Logarithms to “bring down the exponent.” • Solve for the variable.

  11. E.g. 1—Solving an Exponential Equation • Find the solution of 3x + 2 =7 correct to six decimal places. • We take the common logarithm of each side and use Law 3.

  12. E.g. 1—Solving an Exponential Equation

  13. Check Your Answer • Substituting x = –0.228756 into the original equation and using a calculator, we get: 3(–0.228756)+2≈ 7

  14. E.g. 2—Solving an Exponential Equation • Solve the equation 8e2x = 20. • We first divide by 8 to isolate the exponential term on one side.

  15. Check Your Answer • Substituting x = 0.458 into the original equation and using a calculator, we get: 8e2(0.458) = 20

  16. E.g. 3—Solving Algebraically and Graphically • Solve the equation e3 – 2x = 4 algebraically and graphically

  17. Solution 1 E.g. 3—Solving Algebraically • The base of the exponential term is e. • So, we use natural logarithms to solve. • You should check that this satisfies the original equation.

  18. Solution 2 E.g. 3—Solving Graphically • We graph the equations y =e3–2x and y = 4 in the same viewing rectangle as shown. • The solutions occur where the graphs intersect. • Zooming in on the point of intersection, we see: x ≈ 0.81

  19. E.g. 4—Exponential Equation of Quadratic Type • Solve the equation e2x –ex – 6 = 0. • To isolate the exponential term, we factor.

  20. E.g. 4—Exponential Equation of Quadratic Type • The equation ex = 3 leads to x = ln 3. • However, the equation ex = –2 has no solution because ex > 0 for all x. • Thus, x =ln 3 ≈ 1.0986 is the only solution. • You should check that this satisfies the original equation.

  21. E.g. 5—Solving an Exponential Equation • Solve the equation 3xex +x2ex = 0. • First, we factor the left side of the equation. • Thus, the solutions are x = 0 and x = –3.

  22. Logarithmic Equations

  23. Logarithmic Equations • A logarithmic equationis one in which a logarithm of the variable occurs. • For example, log2(x + 2) = 5

  24. Solving Logarithmic Equations • To solve for x, we write the equation in exponential form.x + 2 = 25x = 32 – 2 = 30

  25. Solving Logarithmic Equations • Another way of looking at the first step is to raise the base, 2, to each side. 2log2(x +2) =25x + 2 = 25x = 32 – 2 = 30 • The method used to solve this simple problem is typical.

  26. Guidelines for Solving Logarithmic Equations • Isolate the logarithmic term on one side of the equation. • You may first need to combine the logarithmic terms. • Write the equation in exponential form (or raise the base to each side). • Solve for the variable.

  27. E.g. 6—Solving Logarithmic Equations • Solve each equation for x. • ln x = 8 • log2(25 – x) = 3

  28. Example (a) E.g. 6—Solving Logarithmic Eqns. • ln x = 8x =e8Therefore, x =e8≈ 2981. • We can also solve this problem another way:

  29. Example (b) E.g. 6—Solving Logarithmic Eqns. • The first step is to rewrite the equation in exponential form.

  30. E.g. 7—Solving a Logarithmic Equation • Solve the equation 4 + 3 log(2x) = 16 • We first isolate the logarithmic term. • This allows us to write the equation in exponential form.

  31. E.g. 7—Solving a Logarithmic Equation

  32. E.g. 8—Solving Algebraically and Graphically • Solve the equation log(x + 2) + log(x – 1) = 1algebraically and graphically.

  33. Solution 1 E.g. 8—Solving Algebraically • We first combine the logarithmic terms using the Laws of Logarithms.

  34. Solution 1 E.g. 8—Solving Algebraically • We check these potential solutions in the original equation. • We find that x = –4 is not a solution. • This is because logarithms of negative numbers are undefined. • x = 3 is a solution, though.

  35. Solution 2 E.g. 8—Solving Graphically • We first move all terms to one side of the equation: log(x + 2) + log(x – 1) – 1 = 0

  36. Solution 2 E.g. 8—Solving Graphically • Then, we graph y = log(x + 2) + log(x – 1) – 1 • The solutions are the x-intercepts. • So, the only solution is x≈ 3.

  37. E.g. 9—Solving a Logarithmic Equation Graphically • Solve the equation x2 = 2 ln(x + 2) • We first move all terms to one side of the equationx2 – 2 ln(x + 2) = 0

  38. E.g. 9—Solving a Logarithmic Equation Graphically • Then, we graph y = x2 – 2 ln(x + 2) • The solutions are the x-intercepts. • Zooming in on them, we see that there are two solutions: x ≈ 0.71 x ≈ 1.60

  39. Application • Logarithmic equations are used in determining the amount of light that reaches various depths in a lake. • This information helps biologists determine the types of life a lake can support.

  40. Application • As light passes through water (or other transparent materials such as glass or plastic), some of the light is absorbed. • It’s easy to see that, the murkier the water, the more light is absorbed.

  41. Application • The exact relationship between light absorption and the distance light travels in a material is described in the next example.

  42. E.g. 10—Transparency of a Lake • Let: • I0 and Idenote the intensity of light before and after going through a material. • x be the distance (in feet) the light travels in the material.

  43. E.g. 10—Transparency of a Lake • Then, according to the Beer-Lambert Law, where k is a constant depending on the type of material.

  44. E.g. 10—Transparency of a Lake • Solve the equation for I. • For a certain lake k = 0.025 and the light intensity is I0 = 14 lumens (lm). Find the light intensity at a depth of 20 ft.

  45. Example (a) E.g. 10—Transparency of a Lake • We first isolate the logarithmic term.

  46. Example (b) E.g. 10—Transparency of a Lake • We find Iusing the formula from part (a). • The light intensity at a depth of 20 ft is about 8.5 lm.

  47. Compound Interest

  48. Types of Interest • If a principal P is invested at an interest rate r for a period of t years, the amount A of the investment is given by:

  49. Compound Interest • We can use logarithms to determine the time it takes for the principal to increase to a given amount.

  50. E.g. 11—Finding Term for an Investment to Double • A sum of $5000 is invested at an interest rate of 5% per year. • Find the time required for the money to double if the interest is compounded according to the following method. • Semiannual • Continuous

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