Solving Exponential and Logarithmic Functions

Before we could begin solving exponential and logarithmic functions, we must first
define and understand what each function is, and how they relate to each other
mathematically.
Exponential functions can be expressed as a constant a which is raised to a certain power
x, which looks like this:
𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑎 𝑥
where a > 0 but a ≠ 1
When graphing an exponential function in the form shown above, the y-intercept is
usually 1 while there is no x-intercept as the x-axis is the asymptote of the graph.
Now, how does this tie into logarithms? Exponential functions are identified as
one-to-one functions through the horizontal line test. The result of using the horizontal
line test on an exponential function shows that no horizontal line intersects the graph
more than once. Since it is one-to-one, then there must be an inverse of the function.
Going back to the function above, 𝑓(𝑥) = 𝑎 𝑥 𝑜𝑟 𝑦 = 𝑎 𝑥 , we can obtain the inverse of the
function by interchanging x and y in the equation.
𝑦 = 𝑎𝑥
𝑥 = 𝑎𝑦
Putting it into words, “y is the power required in raising a to obtain x”. However, a
function is usually expressed as a function of x, thus the notation log 𝑎 𝑥 is used.
The logarithm of a number y with respect to the number a is the power to which a needs
to be raised for it to equal to x. The logarithm is the number x satisfying the equation
𝑥 = 𝑎 𝑦 . Hence, the inverse of 𝑦 = 𝑎 𝑥 is:
y = log 𝑎 𝑥
“y is equal to the logarithm of x to the base a” where a > 0 and a ≠ 1

In solving both exponential and logarithmic equations, the laws of exponents serve a vital
role in understanding the solution. The laws of exponents are shown as such:
Product rule: 𝑥 𝑚 ∗ 𝑥 𝑛 = 𝑥 𝑚+𝑛
𝑥𝑚
Quotient rule: = 𝑥 𝑚−𝑛
𝑥𝑛

Power rule: (𝑥 𝑚 )𝑛 = 𝑥 𝑚𝑛
 Now that the connection between exponential equations and logarithmic functions
is established by the fact that one is the inverse of the other and vice versa, we can use
this to solve for each. We have two examples to solve:
The exponential equation: 2𝑥 = 120
And
The logarithmic equation: log 2 (𝑥 − 3) = 5

Let’s first solve the exponential equation. The usual solution is to transform both sides
into an exponential form and solving using the expressions with the same base. However,
since factorizing 120 does not result to the same base number of 2 from the left side, we
proceed with another solution.
The first step is to take the logarithm of both sides of the equation:
log(2𝑥 ) = log(120)
Notice the left side. We can apply the Logarithm of a Power property to simplify it. The
property states that the logarithm of the nth power of a positive number is n times the
number of logarithms of the number. Thus, we have:
𝑥 log(2) = log(120)
In order to isolate x, we divide both sides of the equation by log(2):
log 120
𝑥=
log 2
We can stop here, using a calculator to calculate the approximate value of x but we may
also use the change-of-base formula to eliminate the division symbol. The change-of-
log (𝑎)
base formula is log 𝑏 𝑎 = log𝑥 (𝑏). Thus, we have:
𝑥

𝑥 = log 2 (120)
Plugging the equation into a calculator, the approximate value of x comes out as:
6.9068905960852… or when rounded to the nearest thousandths, 6.907
Now that we have our value for x, we can check the answer by substituting it to the
original equation:
26.9068905960852 = 120
120 = 120
We may now solve the logarithmic equation. We could first identify what each value
represents based off of the formula depicted earlier:
y = log 𝑎 𝑥 ► 5 = log 2 (𝑥 − 3)
𝑦 = 5, 𝑎 = 2, 𝑥 = (𝑥 − 3)
We could then restructure the equation into the exponential form 𝑦 = 𝑎 𝑥 to solve for x:
25 = (𝑥 − 3)
Simplify:
32 = 𝑥 − 3
Now we add 3 to both sides of the equation to isolate x:
32 + 3 = 𝑥 − 3 + 3
𝟑𝟓 = 𝑥
Now that we have our value for x, we can check the answer by substituting it to the
original equation:
log 2 (32 − 3) = 5
log 2 (32) = 5
5=5

Exponential functions and Logarithmic functions are inverses of each other, thus knowing
and understanding how each are structured enables one to solve both. Solving
exponential equations require the use of logarithms and logarithmic equations use
exponential equation’s structure as a starting point of solving x. However, there are more
cases not shown in the given examples here where the laws of exponents and laws of
logarithms are showcased further.