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Logarithms and powers

MAT syllabus
Laws of logarithms and exponentials. Solution of the equation ax = b.

Revision
• am an = am+n for any positive real number a and any real numbers m and n.

• (am )n = amn for any positive real number a and any real numbers m and n.
1
• a−n = for any positive real number a and any real number n.
an
• a0 = 1 for any non-zero real number a.

• The solution to ax = b where a and b are positive numbers (with a ̸= 1) is loga (b). In this
expression, the number a is called the base of the logarithm.

• loga (x) is a function of x which is defined when x > 0. Like with sin x, sometimes the
brackets are omitted if it’s clear what the function is being applied to, so we might write
loga x.

• loga x doesn’t repeat any values; if loga x = loga y then x = y.

• Note the special case loga a = 1 because loga a is the solution x to the equation ax = a,
and that solution is 1.

• In fact, loga (ax ) = x.

• In that sense, the logarithm function is the inverse function for y = ax .

• It’s also true that aloga x = x. To see why, let y = loga x. That would mean that ay = x.
Now replace the y in that equation with the expression loga x.

• loga (xy) = loga (x) + loga (y).

1
• loga (xk ) = k loga x including loga = − loga x.
x
• There’s a mathematical constant called e, which is just a number (it’s about 2.7).

• ex is called the exponential function.

• The laws of indices and laws of logarithms above hold when the base a is equal to e.

• loge x is sometimes written as ln x and the function is sometimes called the natural
logarithm.

For solutions see www.maths.ox.ac.uk/r/matlive

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Revision Questions
1. Simplify (23 )4 and (24 )3 and 24 23 and 23 24 .

2. Solve x−2 + 4x−1 + 3 = 0.

3. Simplify log10 3 + log10 4 into a single term.

4. Write log3 (x2 + 3x + 2) as the sum of two terms, each involving a logarithm.

5. Solve logx (x2 ) = x3 .

6. Solve logx (2x) = 3 for x > 0.

7. Solve logx+5 (6x + 22) = 2.

8. Let a = ln 2 and b = ln 5, and write the following in terms of a and b.

r
2 1
ln 1024, ln 40, ln , ln , ln 1.024.
5 10

9. Expand (ex + e−x ) (ey − e−y ) + (ex − e−x ) (ey + e−y ).

Expand (ex + e−x ) (ey + e−y ) + (ex − e−x ) (ey − e−y ).

10. Solve 2x = 3. Solve 0.5x = 3. Solve 4x = 3.

11. For which values of x (if any) does 1x = 1? For which values of x (if any) does 1x = 3?

12. For what values of b (if any) does 0b = 0? For what values of a (if any) does a0 = 0?

13. Given log10 (log10 x) = 6, how many zeros are there at the end of the number x?

14. Solve ex + e−x = 4.

How many solutions are there to ex + e−x = c? Identify different cases in terms of c.
√ √
15. Prove that ln(N + N 2 − 1) = − ln(N − N 2 − 1) for any number N ⩾ 1.

16. Consider the equation xy = y x with x, y > 0. Use logarithms to turn this into an equation
of the form f (x) = f (y). [Harder] Sketch f (x).

17. Simplify ak loga b for positive numbers a, b, k.

18. Consider the number x = loga b logb c. By simplifying ax , show that x = loga c.
logc b ln b
19. Similarly, show that loga b = for positive numbers a, b, c, and hence loga b = .
logc a ln a

For solutions see www.maths.ox.ac.uk/r/matlive

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MAT Questions
MAT 2014 Q1B
The graph of the function y = log10 (x2 − 2x + 2) is sketched in
(b)
(c)
(a) (b) (c)
y 1.5 y
1 y
1
1 x
−2 2 4
0.5
0.5 −1
(e)
x x
−2 2 4 −2
−2 2 4

(d) (d) (e)

y y
1 1
x
−2 2 4 0.5
−1
x
−2 −2 2 4

MAT 2015 Q1H

How many distinct solutions does the following equation have?

logx2 +2 (4 − 5x2 − 6x3 ) = 2

(a) None, (b) 1, (c) 2, (d) 3, (e) Infinitely many.

MAT 2017 Q1I

Let a, b, c > 0 and a ̸= 1. The equation
cx
   
x x 1
logb ((b ) ) + loga + loga loga (c) = 0
bx b
has a repeated root when
1 b 1
(a) b2 = 4ac, (b) b= , (c) c= , (d) c= , (e) a = b = c.
a a b

[See the next page for hints]

For solutions see www.maths.ox.ac.uk/r/matlive

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Hints

MAT 2014 Q1B

• It’s a good idea to think about the function x2 − 2x + 2 first. Can you say anything about
the values which this quadratic takes?

• If you know that f (x) ⩾ c, then you can say that log10 (f (x)) ⩾ log10 c. This is because
log10 x is an increasing function of x (provided, of course, that x > 0, where log10 x is
defined).

• We could find the coordinates of the minimum of y = x2 − 2x + 2. Then we could infer

the coordinates of the minimum of y = log10 (x2 − 2x + 2).

MAT 2015 Q1H

• This equation looks horrible, because it combines a polynomial with a logarithm. We

could start by factorising the polynomial, or we could start by getting rid of the logarithm.

• Once we’ve done that, we’ll still have the other element of the problem to deal with.
We might need to think about separate logarithm terms, or we might need to solve a
polynomial.

• If you’re solving a polynomial, watch out for repeated roots, because the question asks
for distinct solutions.

MAT 2017 Q1I

• Repeated root reminds me of quadratics and determinants.

• This is a quadratic, if we simplify each term to bring out factors of x. You could do that
simplification either with laws of logarithms or with power laws.

• Take care; note that the base is different on the first term.

• A quadratic has a repeated root if the discriminant is zero, but it might be easier in this
case to just solve the quadratic and write down an equation for the two roots to be equal.

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MAT 2008 Q1B

Which is the smallest of these values?
 3
p 1 1
(a) log10 π , (b) log10 (π 2 ), (c) , (d) √ .
log10 π log10 π

MAT 2008 Q1E

The highest power of x in

4 i6 3
h 
6

3 8

4 i5 h 5 2 5

7
2x + 7 + 3x − 12 + 3x − 12x + x + 6

is

(a) x424 , (b) x450 , (c) x500 , (d) x504 .

MAT 2010 Q1E

Which is the largest of the following four numbers?

(a) log2 3, (b) log4 8, (c) log3 2, (d) log5 10.

MAT 2012 Q1C (modified)

Which is the smallest of the following numbers?
√ 3
(b) log3 92 , (c) (3 sin 60◦ )2 , log2 log2 85 .




(a) 3 , (d)

[See the next page for hints]

For solutions see www.maths.ox.ac.uk/r/matlive

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Hints

MAT 2008 Q1B

√
• When is x bigger than 2x? When is x bigger than 2/x?
You’ll need to use the fact that 1 < π < 10, but you shouldn’t need to use any more
detailed knowledge of the value of π than that.

MAT 2008 Q1E

• What’s the highest power of x in (2x6 + 7)3 ? Do not multiply out! Now look at the other
terms too.
We can ignore the outer-most power of 3 while we’re comparing terms, but don’t forget
about it at the end.

MAT 2010 Q1E

• You can evaluate one of these exactly. Which one? Next, I would aim to compare the
others to that one.
Here’s a strategy to do that sort of comparison; let’s say that we’re comparing log2 3
against pq for some fraction pq . Is log2 3 < pq ? Well, if it is, then 3 < 2p/q , so 3q < 2p .
You’ve got particular values of p and q in mind; go for it!
You might like to reflect on why it’s OK to manipulate the inequalities like this.

MAT 2012 Q1C

• Simplify each number as much as you can before doing any comparisons.

Extension
[Just for fun, not part of the MAT question]

• Given a positive number α, which is the smallest of these values? Identify the different
cases according to α.
√ 2
(a) α, (b) 2α, (c) α−3 (d) .
α

• Which is larger, (8!)9 or (9!)8 ?

For solutions see www.maths.ox.ac.uk/r/matlive