Indices

The Exponents
Logarithms have found its place in most scientific formulas and measures.
Units expressed in logarithmic scales reduce wide-varying quantities into
smaller scopes. For instance, sound pressures and voltage ratios can be
quantified using a logarithmic unit called decibels.

Brief History of Logarithms
In 1614, Scottish mathematician John Napier
published his discovery of logarithms. His main
intention was to assists the multiplication of
quantities that were called sines. The sines or
whole sine was the value of the side of a right
angled triangle with a large hypotenuse.

After some time, a London professor, Henry Briggs
(15611630) became interested in the logarithmic
tables prepared by Napier. Briggs traveled to
Scotland just to visit Napier and discussed the said
approach. They worked together in making
improvements such as the base 10 logarithms.
Later, Briggs developed a table of logarithms that
has remained in use until the advent of calculators
and computers. Occasionally, common
logarithms are called Briggsian logarithm.

The present notion of logarithm is based on the
work of Leonhard Euler, who made its connection
with exponential function during the 18
th
century.
Indeed, the natural logarithm has the Eulers
number e (2.716) as its base.







John Napier (15501617), the 7
th

Laird of Merchiston, on his text A
Description of the Admirable Table
of Logarithm.

By shortening the labors, the
invention of logarithms doubled
the life of the astronomers.
Pierre Laplace

The logarithm
Index Notation
The notation
n
a means that a is multiplied to itself n times. In
other words,


n
n factors
a a a a a =

In the previous notation, a is the base and n is the index (indices if
plural). An index may be thought as a power or an exponent.



Properties of Indices
Given and m n are positive Illustrations:
rational numbers. Then,
1.
m n m n
a a a
+
=
3 6 9
5 5 5 ; =
7 2 5
e e e

=

2.
( )
n
m mn
a a =
( )
5
2 10
; b b =

( ) ( )
3
3
2
2 2 6
2 5 2 5 10
(
= =



3.
m n m n
a a a

=
8 5 3
4 4 4 ; =
5 3 8
3 3 3

=

( )
5
5 5 5
2 3
3 2 3 2 3 2
2 3 6 2 3
2 3
2 3 2 3 2 3
= = =

4.
0
1, provided 0. a a = =
0
1.27 1, =
0
25, 634,186 1 =

5.
1
, provided 0.
m
m
a a
a

= =
3 6 4 6 5
4 5 3 4 4
m n q n r
p r m p q

=

6.
1
n
n
a a =
1
2
2
4 4 4 2 = = =
( )
0
m
n
m
n m n
a a a , a = = >
( )
3
4
3
4 3 4
5 5 5 = =

if is odd
n
n
a a, n =
3 3 3
8 2 2; = = ( )
3
3 3
27 3 3 = =

if is even a , n =
4 4 4
16 2 2 2; = = =
( )
4
4
3 3 4; = = ( )
( )
2
2
3 3 =


Math Drill: Indices


A. Use the properties of indices to simplify each of the following
expressions.

1.
3 4 4 1
2 3 2 3 =


=


2.
5 6 3 3 3 6
x y z x y z

=


=


3.
( ) ( )
( )
7 6
5 6 8 5
12
3 4
5 7 5 7
5 7

=



=



=


4.
( ) ( )
( )
7 5
5 7 6 9 5 5
4
11 15 7
x y z x y z
x y z

=



=



=



B. Express each of the following logarithmic functions in
exponential form.
5.
2
3
log 9
m
=


6.
( )
2
6
log 3 2 y y =


7.
9
log 27 2 1 x =





Exercises: Logarithms 1



A. Change each of the following into logarithmic form.
1.
3
4
16 8 = 3.
3 5
4 32
x
=
2.
3
2 1
343
49

= 4.
( )
1
2
1 5 x =

B. Change each of the following into exponential form.
1.
2
125 3
log 25 = 3.
3
81 4
log 27 =
2.
( )
2
3
9
4
log 2 = 4. ( )
5 1
8 32 3
log =

C. Use the laws of logarithms, if applicable, to change each of the
expressions to sums and difference of multiples of logarithms.
1.
4 3
3
log 5 x z 3.
5
2 4
3
log
z
x y

2.
( )
( )
2
7
1 3 2
log
5 1
x x
x x
+
+
4.
( )
( )
5 2
4 3
3 5
log
7 2 1
a
x x
x
+

D. Write each expression as a single logarithm.
1. ( ) ( ) log log
a a
x y x y + +
2.
2
2 2
2
2 5 3 3 1
log log
2 3 3 2 1
x x x
x x x
+ +
+
+

3.
2 2
8 8
2 2
2 5 3 6 7 2
log log
12 3 10 8
x x x x
x x x x
+ +

+ +

4.
5 6 3 7 2 3 5 2 4
3 3 3 3
2 3 4 2 5 6 7
log 2log 3log 4log
x y y z w x w y z
w z w x y z x
+

E. Given the following logarithms: =
a
log x 1.74787, =
a
log y 1.51314,
( ) + =
a
log x y 2, and ( ) =
a
log x y 1.23227. Evaluate the following
logarithms.
1.
( )
2 2
log
a
x y 3.
( )
1 1
log
a x y
+
2.
( )
log
y
x
a y x
+ 4.
( ) 2 2
1 1
log
a
x y