ChangingfromLogarithmictoExponentialForm

ChangingForms?

Considertheequationy = x , isthereadifferentwaytowritethisequationwithoutchangingthemeaning?
Theanswerisyesbecauseradicalscanalsobewrittenasrational(fractional)exponents.Theequation
y = x canalsobewrittenas y =x1 2. Bothoftheequationsmeanthesamething,squareroot,butthey
havedifferentforms,theylookdifferent.Inthissectionwearegoingtofindouthowtochangeanequation
fromlogarithmicformtoexponentialform.

DefinitionofLogarithms

Tolearnhowtochangeanequationfromlogarithmicformtoexponentialform,weneedtostartwiththe
definitionofalogarithm.

DefinitionofaLogarithm

Forx>0andb>0,b 1, y =log b x isequivalenttoby =x.

Thedefinitionofalogarithmshowsanequationwritteninlogarithmicform,y = log b x, andthesame

equationwritteninexponentialform,by =x.Letscomparethetwoequationsandlookatwhatisthesame
andwhatisdifferent.Inbothequationstheystaysontheleftsideandthexstaysontherightside,theonly
thingthatmovedwasthebcalledthebase.Identifyingandmovingthebaseisthekeytochangingfrom
logarithmicformintoexponentialform.

Changingfrom LogarithmicFormtoExponential Form

Identifyingthebaseof thelogarithmicequationandmovingthebasetotheothersideoftheequalsignis
howtochangealogarithmicequationintoandexponentialequation.Letslookatanotherexample.

Inthisexample,thebaseofthelogarithmicequation is2andasthebasemovedfromtheleftsideofthe
equationtotherightsideoftheequationthenumber5movedupandbecametheexponent,creatingan
exponentialequation.The5andthexdidnotchangesidesandthewordlogwasdropped.

Tochangefromlogarithmicformtoexponentialform,identifythebaseofthelogarithmicequation
andmovethebasetotheothersideoftheequalsign.Movingthebasewillmakethecurrentnumberor
variableintotheexponent.Donotmoveanythingbutthebase,theothernumbersorvariableswillnot
changesidesandthewordlogwillbedropped.
ExamplesNowletslookatsomemoreexamplesofhowtochangefromlogarithmicformtoexponential
form.

Example1:Writethelogarithmicequationy =log 7 9 inexponentialform.

Inthisexample,thebase7movedfromtherightsideofthe
equalsigntotheleftsideoftheequalsign turningyinto
theexponent.

Example2:Writethelogarithmicequation8 =log x 32 inexponentialform.

Inthisexample,thebasexmovedfromtherightsideofthe
equalsigntotheleftsideoftheequalsignturning8into
theexponent.

Example3:Writethelogarithmicequationlog 5 y =86 inexponentialform.

Inthisexample,thebase5movedfromtheleftsideofthe
equalsigntotherightsideoftheequalsignturning86into
theexponent.

1
Example4:Writethelogarithmicequation =log x 49inexponentialform.
2

Inthisexample,thebasexmovedfromtherightsideofthe
equalsigntotheleftsideoftheequalsignturning1/2into
theexponent.

Example5:Writethelogarithmicequationlog 299 =z inexponentialform.

Inthisexample,thebase2movedfromtheleftsideofthe
equalsigntotherightsideoftheequalsignturningzinto
theexponent.
AdditionExamples

Ifyouwouldliketoseemoreexamplesofchangingfrom logarithmicformtoexponential form,justclick

onthelinkbelow.

Additional Examples

PracticeProblems

Nowitisyourturntotryafewpracticeproblemsonyourown.Workoneachoftheproblemsbelowand
thenclickonthelinkattheendtocheckyouranswers.

Problem1:Writethelogarithmicequationlog8 73 =x inexponentialform.

Problem2:Writethelogarithmicequationlog x 54 =9 inexponentialform.

Problem 3:Writethelogarithmicequationx =log 491 inexponentialform.

Problem 4:Writethelogarithmicequationlog 3 x =73 inexponentialform.

Problem5:Writethelogarithmicequation4 =log z 66 inexponentialform.

Problem6:Writethelogarithmicequation6 =log 7 x inexponentialform.

SolutionstoPracticeProblems