Question: What's a variable?

Answer: A variable is an object, event, idea, feeling, time period, or any other type of category one can trying to measure. There are two types of variables-independent and dependent. Question: What's an independent variable? Answer: An independent variable is a variable that stands alone and isn't changed by the other variables. For example, someone's age might be an independent variable. Other factors (such as what they eat, how much they go to school, how much television they watch) aren't going to change a person's age. Question: What's a dependent variable? Answer: a dependent variable is something that depends on other factors. For example, a test score could be a dependent variable because it could change depending on several factors such as how much you studied, how much sleep you got the night before you took the test, or even how hungry you were when you took it.

A function is a special relationship between values: Each of its input values gives back exactly one output value. It is often written as "f(x)" where x is the value you give it. Example: f(x) = x/2 ("f of x is x divided by 2") is a function, because for every value of "x" you get another value "x/2", so: * f(2) = 1 * f(16) = 8 * f(-10) = -5
In mathematics, the exponential function is the function ex, where e is the number (approximately 2.718281828) such that the function ex is its own derivative.[1][2] The exponential function is used to model a relationship in which a constant change in the independent variable gives the same proportional change (i.e. percentage increase or decrease) in the dependent variable.

The logarithm to base b = 10 is called the common logarithm and has many applications in science and engineering. The natural logarithm has the constant e ( 2.718) as its base; its use is widespread in pure mathematics, especially calculus. The binary logarithm uses base b = 2 and is prominent in computer science. A logarithm can have any positive value as its base, but two log bases are more useful than the others. The base-10, or "common", log is popular for historical reasons, and is usually written as "log(x)". If a log has no base written, you should generally (in algebra classes) assume that the base is 10.

The other important log is the "natural", or base-e, log, denoted as "ln(x)" .Just as the number e arises naturally in math and the sciences, so also does the natural log, which is why you need to be familiar with it.

The relation between natural (ln) and base 10 (log) logarithms is ln X = 2.303 log X (source). Hence the model is equivalent to:
2.303 log Y = a + 2.303b log X

or, putting a / 2.303 = a*:

log Y = a* + b log X