How Do I Correctly Exponentiate in Logarithmic Equations?

  • Thread starter vorcil
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In summary, logarithms are mathematical functions that represent the relationship between two numbers with different magnitudes. They are important because they simplify complex calculations and have various applications. To solve logarithmic equations, you can use properties such as taking the base 10 exponent of both sides. Natural and common logarithms have different bases and are used in different situations. Logarithms cannot be used with negative numbers or zero, but complex numbers can be used. Logarithms and exponents are inverse functions of each other, and this relationship is useful for solving equations involving them.
  • #1
vorcil
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I solved for the equation

[tex] \frac{f}{2} ln\frac{Tf}{Ti} = - ln \frac{vf}{vi} [/tex]

I know to simplify the equation I need to Exponentiate both sides

[tex]

e^{\frac{f}{2}} * e^{ln\frac{Tf}{Ti}} = e^{ln\frac{vi}{vf}} [/tex]

note i changed [tex] - ln \frac{vf}{vi} \textrm{ too } ln\frac{vi}{vf} [/tex] and removed the negative sign

,

after exponentiating both sides I get

[tex] e^{\frac{f}{2}} * \frac{Tf}{Ti} = \frac{Vi}{Vf} [/tex]

But I'm not sure if I put the f/2 in the right place

My equation should be reading
[tex] {\frac{Tf}{Ti}}^\frac{f}{2} [/tex]
but I don't know how to get to that
from exponentiating [tex] \frac{f}{2} \frac{Tf}{Ti} [/tex]

could someone please expain the rules behind this?

--------------------------------------------

original question:

solve an equation for the work done in adiabatic compression

-

[tex] U = \frac{f}{2} N \kappa T [/tex]

[tex] dU = \frac{f}{2} N \kappa dT [/tex]

the work done during quasistatic compression is -P dv

[tex] \frac{f}{2} N\kappa dT = -P dV [/tex]

using the ideal gas law to write P the pressure in terms of the variables T and v
ideal gas law: [tex] \frac{N \kappa T}{V} = P [/tex]

i get

[tex] \frac{f}{2} N\kappa dT = -\frac{N\kappa T}{V} dv [/tex]

simplifying by canceling out N K gives

[tex] \frac{f}{2} dT = -\frac{T}{V}dv [/tex]

separation of variables because this is a differential equation

[tex]
\frac{f}{2} \frac{dT}{T} = -\frac{dV}{V} [/tex]

integrating both sides with respect to initial and final volume/temperatures
I get the equation

[tex] \frac{f}{2} \int_{Ti}^{Tf} \frac{1}{T}dT = -\int_{Vi}^{Vf} \frac{1}{V}dV [/tex]

integrating

[tex] \left \frac{f}{2} lnT \right|_{Ti}^{Tf}= \left -lnV\right|_{Vi}^{Vf} [/tex]

evaluating

[tex] \frac{f}{2} lnTf - lnTi = -lnVf + lnVi [/tex]

noting that lnx - lny is equivalent to ln(x/y)

simplifying to get

[tex] \frac{f}{2} ln\frac{Tf}{Ti} = ln\frac{Vi}{Vf} [/tex]

this is where I was having the exponential problem

exponentiating both sides

do i raise e to the whole of the left side? or the individual parts?
[tex] e^\frac{f}{2} e^{ln\frac{Tf}{Ti}} \textrm{ or do i } e^{\frac{f}{2} ln{Tf}{Ti} [/tex]
what happens to the f/2?
I know each of Tf and Ti should be raised to the power of f/2 afterwards

but I do not understand how that works
 
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  • #2
vorcil said:
[tex] \frac{f}{2} ln\frac{Tf}{Ti} = ln\frac{Vi}{Vf} [/tex]

this is where I was having the exponential problem

exponentiating both sides

do i raise e to the whole of the left side? or the individual parts?
[tex] e^\frac{f}{2} e^{ln\frac{Tf}{Ti}} \textrm{ or do i } e^{\frac{f}{2} ln{Tf}{Ti} [/tex]
what happens to the f/2?
I know each of Tf and Ti should be raised to the power of f/2 afterwards

but I do not understand how that works

Quick info about exponentials:

[tex]x^ax^b = x^{(a+b)}[/tex]

[tex]\frac{x^a}{x^b} = x^{(a-b)} [/tex]

[tex](x^a)^b = x^{ab} [/tex]

So, when you exponentiate

[tex] \frac{f}{2} ln\frac{Tf}{Ti} = ln\frac{Vi}{Vf} [/tex]

You get

[tex]e^{\frac{f}{2} ln\frac{T_f}{T_i}} = e^{ln\frac{V_i}{V_f}} [/tex]

But remember that

[tex]\frac{f}{2} ln\frac{T_f}{T_i} = ln(\frac{T_f}{T_i})^{(\frac{f}{2})}[/tex]

Plug-in that on your equation to get

[tex](\frac{T_f}{T_i})^{(\frac{f}{2})} = \frac{V_i}{V_f} [/tex]

Was that what you wanted?

________________________

EDIT:

Instead, if you had done

[tex]e^{\frac{f}{2}}e^{ln\frac{T_f}{T_i}} = e^{ln\frac{V_i}{V_f}} [/tex]

On the left-hand side, you would be implying that

[tex]e^{\frac{f}{2}}e^{ln\frac{T_f}{T_i}} = e^{(\frac{f}{2}+ln\frac{T_f}{T_i})} [/tex]

Which is incorrect, as you can clearly see, because the original expression was

[tex]\frac{f}{2}ln\frac{T_f}{T_i}[/tex]

And not

[tex]\frac{f}{2}+ln\frac{T_f}{T_i}[/tex]

So a quick explanation to your question would be reviewing the first exponential property that I've posted above, that is, the product one.
 
Last edited:

1. What are logarithms and why are they important?

Logarithms are mathematical functions that represent the relationship between two numbers with different magnitudes. They are important because they allow us to simplify complex calculations involving large numbers, and they have many applications in various fields such as finance, science, and engineering.

2. How do I solve logarithmic equations?

To solve a logarithmic equation, you can use the property that log(x) = y is equivalent to x = 10^y. This means that to solve for x, you can take the base 10 exponent of both sides of the equation. You can also use logarithmic properties such as the product and quotient rules to simplify the equation before solving for x.

3. What is the difference between natural logarithms and common logarithms?

Natural logarithms, denoted as ln(x), have a base of e (approximately 2.718) while common logarithms, denoted as log(x), have a base of 10. This means that natural logarithms are used in situations where the number e is involved, such as in exponential growth or decay problems. Common logarithms are used more frequently in everyday calculations.

4. Can I use logarithms with negative numbers or zero?

No, logarithms can only be used with positive numbers. This is because the logarithm function is undefined for negative numbers and the result for zero is negative infinity. However, you can use complex numbers to solve logarithmic equations involving negative numbers.

5. How are logarithms related to exponents?

Logarithms and exponents are inverse functions of each other. This means that if log(x) = y, then x = 10^y. In other words, the logarithm tells us what power we need to raise the base (10 in this case) to get the given number. This relationship is useful for solving exponential and logarithmic equations.

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