Exponential and Logarithmic Functions

1. Exponential Functions
M
1. Definition:
 Exponential functions are functions in the form 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑎𝑏 , where b is the base
of the function.
 When both a and b are >1, the exponential function is increasing and is called an
exponential growth.
 When both a and b are <1, the exponential function is decreasing and is called an
exponential decay.

Exponential Growth Exponential Decay

Examples:

Graph the following exponential functions and specify if the function is an exponential
growth or decay. Also identify the key characteristics.

1. 𝑓(𝑥) = 4

Growth or decay: Growth

Domain:
R Range: 0,0
Increasing interval: 0,0 Decreasing Interval:

yO x
Y-intercept: Asymptote: axis
0,1
End behavior:
as o f x α
as ye o f x 0
2. 𝑓(𝑥) =on
6

Growth or decay: Decay

Domain:
R Range:
0,0
Increasing interval: Decreasing Interval: 0 0

yO x axis
Y-intercept: Asymptote:
0,1
End behavior: 0 fx 0
0 fx 0
 3. 𝑓(𝑥) = (2 )

Growth or decay:

Domain: Range:

Increasing interval: Decreasing Interval:

Y-intercept: Asymptote:

End behavior:

2. Exponents with a natural base.

When exponents have a natural base, the function 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑎𝑏 becomes 𝒇(𝒙) = 𝒆𝒙 .
What is e? It is an irrational number and a mathematical constant that has an approximate
value of 2.71828…. It appears naturally when describing growth or decay processes.

Example:
Graph 𝒇(𝒙) = 𝒆𝒙 and specify if the function is an exponential growth or decay. Also
identify the key characteristics.

Growth or decay:

Domain: Range:
Increasing interval: Decreasing Interval:

Y-intercept: Asymptote:

End behavior:
 h
3. Exponential Growth and Decay
Definitions:

Exponential Growth: When the exponential function increases with time. It is denoted by:

𝑓(𝑡) = 𝑎(1 + 𝑟)

Where 𝑡 = 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒, 𝑎 = 𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡, 𝑟 = 𝑔𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑡ℎ 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒.

Exponential Decay: When the exponential function decreases with time. It is denoted by:

𝑓(𝑡) = 𝑎(1 − 𝑟)

Where 𝑡 = 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒, 𝑎 = 𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑎𝑙 𝑎𝑚𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑡, 𝑟 = 𝑑𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑦 𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒.

Examples:

1. A website launched with 50 visitors a day. Every week, the number of visitors
increase by 5%. What is the number of website visitors after 5 weeks?

f 5 50 1 8 50 1.05
63.8
63
2. Sara started her job at a salary of $9.8 per hour. Every 4 months, she gets a 3% raise.
If Sara has worked at her job for 15 years, what is her current hourly rate?

f 180 9.8 1 700

9.8 1.03 37.06

3. Adam bought a car at a price of $32,000 . The value of the car depreciates by 10%
every year. What is the price of the car after 12 years?

f 12 32,000 1 0.1
0.9 9,037.7
32,000
 4. The farm had 50 cows at the beginning of 2018. If it is estimated that the number of
cows will double every six years, then what is the equation of the estimated
number C of cows m years after 2018?

C f m 50 1 1
50 2

5. A merchant bought a number of cows on Sunday, April 5. The next day, he

slaughtered half the cows, and the next day he slaughtered half of the remaining
cows, and so on, repeating the same process every day. If you know that he
slaughtered one cow on Saturday, Saturday, April 11, how many cows would he have
bought originally?

1 0.5
1 f 6 a

I a 0.5
a
64cows

one
Time.
 4. Continuous Growth and Decay
Definition:

Unlike the previous section, the growth or decay rate is constant and is not dependent on a
certain time interval.

The equation used is:

𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑃𝑒

Where P=original amount, r=growth rate (positive) or decay rate (negative), and t=time.

Key word: continuously.

Examples:

1. A certain 2-m tree was planted in a garden in 2003. If the tree can grow continuously at a
rate of 3% per month, how tall is the tree in 2024?

21years 28hm
f 252 2 et 3,839.7m

2. A water tank filled with 50 liters of water decreases continuously by 2.5% per minute due
to a leakage. How many minutes will the tank take for it to be filled with only 34 liters of
water?
10
0
f 10 50 5
50 0.7788
38.94 liters
 6. Logarithms (Definitions, Conversions, and Evaluating)
Definitions:

 A logarithm is written in the form log 𝑎 = x answers the question “How many times
must the base (b) be multiplied by itself to get the other number (a)?”
 It should also be noted that:

log 𝑎 = 𝑥 & 𝑏 = 𝑎

 If a log is written without a base (for example log (50)), this means that the base is
10 and is called a common logarithm.
 𝑙𝑜𝑔 1 = 0
 𝑙𝑜𝑔 𝑎 = 1

Converting logarithms examples:

Convert the following logarithmic equations in exponential form and vice versa.

1. 6 = 36
109636 2

2. 0.5 =4

1090.54 2
3. 10 = 1000

log1000 3

4. log 125 = 3

53 125

5. log = −3

83 T2
6. log = −4

4
10 Too
Evaluating logarithms:

Examples: Evaluate the following logarithms.

1. 𝑙𝑜𝑔 64
43564

2. 𝑙𝑜𝑔

3. 𝑙𝑜𝑔
ÉI
so L
4. 𝑙𝑜𝑔 1

16 1

Change of Base Logarithms:

Some logarithms cannot be easily evaluated like the examples above. In this case, we should
𝐥𝐨𝐠(𝒂)
utilize the property of 𝐥𝐨𝐠 𝒃 𝒂 = 𝐥𝐨𝐠(𝒃). You can use your calculator to evaluate the log of each.

Examples: Evaluate the following logarithms.

1. 𝑙𝑜𝑔 184
3.24 5324 184
log 184 19 18,4 2
24
262
2. 𝑙𝑜𝑔

109,4
187 8197
1.262 3 1
3. 𝑙𝑜𝑔 62 201378 62
10 1.378
1092062
57 1792
 h
8. Properties of Logarithms (Product, Quotient, and Power)
Product Rule Quotient Rule Power Rule

1. log (𝑥 ∗ 𝑦) = log 𝑥 + 𝑙𝑜𝑔 𝑦 𝐴 2. log = log 𝑥 − 𝑙𝑜𝑔 𝑦 𝐴

Examples: Condense or expand Examples: Condense or expand.

the following using the product

property.

1. 109
log 281. log 28 74 1096

10967 10964 109,56 10962 log23

2. log(x − 16)2. ln
mar
s 6
19 og x 4
in 8 _In a

3. log [Link]

1094 logx216
1091 5 x 3 log5

1094 9 1094

4. ln 8 + ln(x + 2) 4. log 50 − log 5

109 x41
In 86 2 log 5
4
16 109410 1109
In 8
5. ln(6x ) + ln x k 5. Log 16x − log 4x 2w
1094 81

In 6 2 31 109
1 1094181

3
In 2 109,2 41
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9. Expanding and Condensing Logarithms
To expand/ condense logs, combine the properties learned in the above section and solve.

Examples: Condense the following into a single logarithm.

1. 𝑙𝑜𝑔(21)
4 − (am
4𝑙𝑜𝑔(7)
my + 3𝑙𝑜𝑔(2))

109124 log 8 log23

log 24 log 64 8
log 24 log 512 s
10924 log8
109 2 log3

2. 𝑙𝑜𝑔 (𝑥 − 3) +mar𝑙𝑜𝑔 (𝑥 + 2)

log x 3 log x 21

log x 3 109 x2 4 41
X 8 12 log
3 2 8 12
log x3 X 4 4 109g

3. 6𝑙𝑛(𝑎𝑏) + 2𝑙𝑛(𝑎 𝑏 )
3
In ab In asb
In a b In a3b
In a b In a b
2
In a6b a b
In a b's
4. ln(3𝑥 ) − ln(𝑥 )

In 3 6 in

In 33 _In
In 3 x In
In 3 In 3 In 3 4ᵗʰ
Examples: Expand the following logarithm completely.

1. 𝑙𝑜𝑔 𝑥 𝑦

3109 Xˢy
3 log 109Xs logy
2109
3 log3 5109x 2109y 3 log 5109 y
3109,3 15109 6loggy
2. 𝑙𝑜𝑔

log 109

109 log 8 logx 1109 8

3. ln

1 In E
1 In 3 1 In2
X 1 In 3 In 2

_
4. log

log 16as log 4b 3C

log 1698 log45230
3
16 logas
log log4b 3
462 30
16 810ga log
log
16 4oga log 4b
30
log
 b
10. Graphing Logarithms

𝒇(𝒙) = 𝒍𝒐𝒈(𝒙)
½

alibr
𝒇(𝒙) = 𝟏𝟎𝒙

Examples: Graph each of the following functions and identify the main characteristics.

1. 𝑓(𝑥) = − log ( x + 2) + 1
m

Domain:
7 Range: x-intercept:

Asymptote: Increasing int: Decreasing int.:

EX 7 23 0 0 1.75,0
End Behavior:
1 2 2,0
asx o f x o
0
ask 2 f x
2. 𝑓(𝑥) = log (−x) − 1

1 405 0,0 1,10

xO 0,0
at i
3. 𝑓(𝑥) = −2 ln(𝑥)arm
+2

1 703 R 1,0
XO 0,0
a
4. 𝑓(𝑥) = ln(𝑥 − 5)
li

X753 R 6,0
1 5 5,0
0 f x 0
asx
as 5 f x
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11. Solving Exponential Equations
To solve exponential equations, all bases must be the same in order to use the properties of
exponentials. If they are not the same, manipulate the bases to look similar.

Examples: Solve the following exponential equations

( )
1. 4 ∗4 =4

71 1
42 42
X 1 24 1 25
2X X 1 24
2. 𝑒 ∗𝑒 =

1 2x 3 2
2 e

24
3. 7 ∗7
it ia =7
3x s.x
∗7

46 2 1 42 1
7 73
92 1 34 541 7 12 0
4. 25 =5
2
53 56
2
521 56
2
4 2 x1
5. ( )
+
x 36 =6

6 6 61
5 614
61 621
6 161 10 1
6
6 2 10
6 4 10
1 4 10
( )
6. 8 a ∗ ∗4 =

5 1
2 2 2 2
31 5421 2212
41 34
231 2 2
2 22 x 212
7
2 12 7 3 154
 An 13. Solving Logarithmic Equations

To solve logarithmic functions equations, follow the next steps:

1. Case 1: Log(x)=Log(y).
Condense the logarithms to look like the above form.
If Log(x)=Log(y) then x=y.
Remove the logs and set the terms with x equal to each other, then solve for x. Check for
extraneous solutions (Log (0) or Log (negative numbers) are undefined.)

2. Case 2: Log(x)=Number.
Isolate the logarithm on one side and the number on the other side of the equal side, then
convert to exponential form and solve for x. Don’t forget to check for extraneous
solutions. (Log (0) or Log (negative numbers) are undefined.)

Examples:

1. log (2𝑥 + 5) + 2 log (4) = log (𝑥 + 2)

109 2 5 log 16 log x 2 2

log 2 5 16 log x 2 109 32 80 109,1 323T
7gx
extraneous

2. log (4𝑦 − 2) − log (3 +no

2y) = log (8)

4 2
1094
4 10942
414 49
492 2139 4 2
3. ln(3𝑥 + 1) = (ln(80) − ln(5))

In 3 1 In 83
6 In 35
in
1142
In 3 1

4. log(𝑘 − 6𝑘) = log(−𝑘 + 24)

K 6K K 24
K 5k 240
K8 k 3 0 k 8 k 3
5. log (2𝑥 + 5) + 2 = 6

1093 2 5 4
3 2 5 81 2 5 653
6. ln(8) + ln(x − 5) = 3

In8ᵗʰ In x 5 3
In 2 In x 5 3
lots
log
in a x 5 3 in no [Link]
7. log (2𝑥 + 4) + log (2𝑥 − 4) = 3

2x 4 2x41 3
3
1092 4 2 8 8 16
log 4 2 16 24 16
841 [Link] Fro
2 + 6) = 1
8. log (𝑐 ) − log (−𝑐 [Link]

1092
16 1

arethesolution
 m
12. Solving Exponential Equations Using Logarithms

If you cannot find a way to unify the base, then you must isolate each expression on either side
of the equal sign, then take the log of each side and solve for x. Utilize the power rule for
logarithms. Check for extraneous solutions.

Examples:

1. 6 = 38

log 6 log38
3 log6 10938

3 109,3
3 18795 3
2. 3 = 243

s
81
4
log 4 10981

x 5 log 4 1091811 5 19,9

1
g
3. = 243

my34. 𝑒 + 16 = 180

loge log164 3
3 loge log
164 3 1 3
84 91 1.697
 5. 3 =2
ˢ 2
10922
log3
x5 log3 2 2 log2
2 1092 21092
510g3
log3
21092 51093
log 2 1092 51093
log3 2og2 21092
3
1.653
219,31
6. 2 ∗ 5 =2

2x 3
5 25
1092543
log5
5 3log
2xlog5 31092
2 1095 5 1092

2 1095 5xlog2 31092

2 31092
21095 5log
31092 0.311
21095 51092