Logarithms

Theory Refresher

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You may wish to review your Indices before working through this module.

Taking a logarithm is essentially finding an index or a power. The relationship between logarithms and indices is summed up in the following important statement:

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Rules for Logarithms

Notes

1.		We cannot find logarithms of negative numbers or zero.
2.		Compare 1 and 2 above with rules for indices, remembering that logarithms are effectively indices!
3.		There is NO rule for . It cannot be simplified.
4.		Important special cases:
5.		Important kinds of logarithms:
6.		Important statements (useful for solving equations):

Solving Equations with Logarithms

1.		To eliminate a logarithm, raise each side as a power of the base of the logarithm.
2.		To solve for an index, take ln of both sides.

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Logarithms

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