# Tag Archives: Equation

There are many situations in science, engineering, economics and other fields where quadratic equations are a vital part of the mathematics used. Some real word problems can be solved using a quadratic equation. We are generally only interested in any real solutions which result. We will look at some of these applications. We employ the […]

# Exponential Equations using Logarithms

We can find solutions to simple exponential equations where we could make equal bases and then equate exponents (indices). For example, $2^{x}=8$ can be written as $2^x = 2^3$. Therefore the solution is $x=3$. However, it is not always easy to make the bases the same such as $2^x=5$. In these situations, we use $\textit{logarithms}$ […]

# Logarithmic Equations

We can use the laws of logarithms to write equations in a different form. This can be particularly useful if an unknown appears as an index (exponent). $$2^x=7$$ For the logarithmic function, for every value of $y$, there is only one corresponding value of $x$. $$y=5^x$$ We can, therefore, take the logarithm of both sides […]

# Exponential Equations (Indicial Equations)

The equation $a^x=y$ is an example of a general exponent equation (indicial equation) and $2^x = 32$ is an example of a more specific exponential equation (indicial equation). To solve one of these equations it is necessary to write both sides of the equation with the same base if the unknown is an exponent (index) […]

# The Golden Ratio

Since the days of old, artists, as well as mathematicians, have known that there is a special, aesthetically pleasing rectangle with width $1$, length $x$, and the following property: When a square of side $1$ is removed, the rectangle that remains has the same proportions as the original rectangle. Since the new rectangle has a […]