Thursday, May 21, 2020

A little logarithm tip

Are you teaching about logarithms today (or maybe learning about them)? I want to share with you a little tip that helps me with understanding logarithm problems and hopefully it will help you as well!

So basically a logarithm is kind of a reverse exponent, right? 

If you begin a logarithm lesson or problem by writing the following equation down, it will help you remember what is what:






Okay, so what does this mean for us? Well, log base 10 of 100 equals 2. We know that 10^2=100, so this will help us remember our pattern.


Let's try a problem using this pattern! Say you are solving for x and the equation is log x = 4 (remember that when there's no little number subscript below the log, the base is 10). Follow the pattern for an easy solution!


Okay, so how about natural log? The same! Just remember that natural log is a special way of saying log base e rather than a number. Go ahead and change it if it helps you to not get confused :) 


So given the problem ln x = .0144, you can just switch it to log base 3 and follow the pattern for a quick solution! :) 


There's my math tip for the day! Give it a try when you're teaching or working with logarithms and it should help you find the solution with less confusion.



4 comments:

  1. I love math, but this part of math always boggled my mind. I suppose it's good to know as an adult it still boggles my mind and I wasn't just a teen with a mental block. :) where does the In come from?

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  2. Lol. I would love to say I understand this but Honestly I never learned this at all in school. I'm glad i have a few years before my kids need this๐Ÿ˜

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  3. Thanks for the refresher! I log Math myself :).

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  4. Love math but I guess I could log it too ๐Ÿ˜‰

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