Math 141 Review for Chapter 4 Test: Exponential and Logarithmic Functions

Name_____KEY___ _____________

Show all work algebraically. Answers without adequate work will not receive credit.

1) Explain the differences between linear and exponential functions.

Linear: increases (or decreases) by the same amount each time period (rate of change, or slope: change in y per
change in x, is constant); graphs as a line; 𝒚𝒚 = 𝒎𝒎𝒙𝒙 + 𝒃𝒃

Exponential: increases (or decreases) by the same percentage each time period (so there is a constant multiplier or
percent increase or decrease); graphs as a J-curve; 𝒚𝒚 = 𝒂𝒂𝒃𝒃𝒙𝒙
2) Match the graphs with the equations.
D
E
y = log x ___ A _ ___ C
F

y = ln x ____B____ B
A
y = 2x _____C____

y = 3x _____E____

y = (0.4) x _____F____

y = ex _____D____

3) Fill in the following table:

Function y-intercept Growth or Growth or decay rate

decay?

𝒚𝒚 = 𝟐𝟐𝟐𝟐(𝟎𝟎. 𝟗𝟗𝟗𝟗)𝒙𝒙 (0, 20) Decay 6% annual rate

y = 13(1.4) x (0,13) Growth 40% annual (or

whatever the time
period is)

y = 17e 0.35 x (0,17) Growth 35% continuous

𝒚𝒚 = 𝟓𝟓𝒆𝒆𝟎𝟎.𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎 (0, 5) Growth 7% continuous rate

4) Rewrite the following equations into the requested form (do NOT solve):

a) ln 𝑥𝑥 = 𝑝𝑝 into exponential form: 𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒑 = 𝒙𝒙

b) 4𝑥𝑥 = 5 into logarithmic form: 𝒍𝒍𝒍𝒍𝒍𝒍𝟒𝟒 𝟓𝟓 = 𝒙𝒙

5) Solve the following for x.

a) 𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙4 𝑥𝑥 = 3

X = 64

b) 𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙 = 3

X ≈ 20.086

c) 2 log 3 ( 2 x − 3) =
4

X = 6 (Easiest to divide both sides by 2 first and then change into an exponential equation.)

d) 3(4) x + 2 = 21

X ≈ -0.5963

(Remember, for this one and the next, it is easier if you isolate the term which has the exponent before you
take the log of both sides. Otherwise, you will have to take the log of a product, which is the sum of the
individual logs.)

e) 4e12 x + 3 = 19

X ≈ 0.1155
 f) log( x + 48) + log( x) = 2

X=2

(x also = -50, but you can’t take the log of a negative number, so you need to throw out this answer. It is
easiest to do this problem if you rewrite the log expression as one logarithm and then convert the resulting
equation into an exponential equation. The resulting equation will be a quadratic, which is easy to factor,
though if you are totally opposed to factoring you can use the quadratic formula.)

g) 4(1.7)x = 7(1.08)x

X ≈ 1.2335
𝟏𝟏.𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝒙𝒙 𝟏𝟏.𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎 𝒙𝒙
(There are different approaches to this problem. One way is to recognize that can be written as � � .
𝟏𝟏.𝟕𝟕𝒙𝒙 𝟏𝟏.𝟕𝟕
This allows you to use the Power rule easily.)

h) 10 − 8𝑒𝑒 𝑥𝑥 = 6

X ≈ -0.6931

(See note for part d if you have trouble with this problem. Also, remember that if you have e in a problem, it
is usually easier to take the natural log (ln) of both sides rather than the common log (log) because 𝒍𝒍𝒍𝒍𝒍𝒍 = 1.)

6) Rewrite as a single logarithm.

a) 2 log( x) + 3 log( y ) − log( z )

𝒙𝒙𝟐𝟐 𝒚𝒚𝟑𝟑
𝒍𝒍𝒍𝒍𝒍𝒍 � �
𝒛𝒛

b) 3 log( x) − 2 log( x 2 )

𝟏𝟏
𝒍𝒍𝒍𝒍𝒍𝒍(𝒙𝒙−𝟏𝟏 ) or 𝒍𝒍𝒍𝒍𝒍𝒍 �𝒙𝒙�

(Remember, (𝒙𝒙𝟐𝟐 )𝟐𝟐 = 𝒙𝒙𝟒𝟒 )

7) Use logarithm properties to expand the expression.

𝑎𝑎 3 √𝑏𝑏
a) ln 𝑐𝑐 5

𝟏𝟏
𝟑𝟑𝟑𝟑𝟑𝟑𝟑𝟑 + 𝒍𝒍𝒍𝒍𝒍𝒍 − 𝟓𝟓𝟓𝟓𝟓𝟓𝟓𝟓
𝟐𝟐

𝑎𝑎4 𝑏𝑏7
b) log 3
√𝑐𝑐

𝟏𝟏
𝟒𝟒𝟒𝟒𝟒𝟒𝟒𝟒𝟒𝟒 + 𝟕𝟕𝒍𝒍𝒍𝒍𝒍𝒍𝒍𝒍 − 𝒍𝒍𝒍𝒍𝒍𝒍𝒍𝒍
𝟑𝟑
8) Granny wants to start a college account for her newborn granddaughter. How much money does she need to
deposit now into an account earning 3% compounded quarterly so it will be worth $20,000 in 18 years?

$11,678.47

(Look up the compound growth formula in 4.1 if you don’t remember it. It is very similar to 𝒚𝒚 = 𝒂𝒂𝒃𝒃𝒙𝒙 but you need
to take the number of compoundings per year into consideration, and you need to remember that 𝒃𝒃 = 𝟏𝟏 + 𝒓𝒓.)

9) The population, P, of a group of rabbits t years after being released in a new habitat is given by P (t ) = 500 (1.03)
t

a) How many rabbits were initially released? 500

b) Fill in the blank: The rabbit population is growing by __3___% per year

c) How many rabbits will there be in 2 years?

530 rabbits (Remember, you can’t have part of a rabbit.)

d) When there will be 600 rabbits?

In about 6 years

(This is a “when” question so you are solving for the exponent and will need to use logarithms as some point.)

10) Find a formula for an exponential function such that f(1) = 3 and f(-1) = 12

𝒚𝒚 = 𝟔𝟔(𝟎𝟎. 𝟓𝟓)𝒙𝒙

(You must find a and b since neither is given. Use the easier point to solve for a in terms of b or vice versa.
Substitute this expression into the equation again, this time using the second point for x and y. This will leave
you with one unknown to solve for.)
11) Bismuth-214 has a half-life of 20 minutes. What percent of the original amount is left after one hour?

12.5%

(Remember, half-life is the amount of time it takes for ½ of the substance to decay, so it is the x-value when
the amount still remaining is ½ of what you started with. So, if you started with a, you have .5a left when the
half-life time has passed. Since this problem asks for the percent of the original amount, after doing the math,
your answer won’t be an actual amount, but it will be an amount expressed as a percent of what you started
with: some number times a.)

12) In 2003, there were 7225 Starbucks stores. In 2005, there were 10,241 Starbucks stores. If Starbucks continues to
increase exponentially at the same rate find the doubling time.

The doubling time is approximately 4 years.

(If you define your variables with x = years since the first year listed (2003) and y = number of Starbucks
stores, you can write the information as two ordered pairs. Finding the model then becomes a simplified
version of #10. Then you can use your model to determine the doubling time. Remember, you are finding
time, so you will eventually need to use logs to solve for the exponent.)

13) The Island of Niue is currently home to 5000 people, and the population has been growing continuously by 8 %. The
Cook Islands are currently home to 20,000 natives but the native population has been continuously decreasing by
6% each year.
a) Write the equation for the population of the Island of Niue. N(t) = ___5000𝒆𝒆𝟎𝟎.𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎_____________

b) Write the equation for the population of the Cook Islands. C(t) = ___20,000𝒆𝒆−𝟎𝟎.𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎 _____________

Note that when using the continuous growth formula, a decrease results in a negative in the equation
because the exponent includes the actual rate. When using the annual growth rate formula you do not have a
negative sign because b represents the multiplying factor (1+r), not the rate itself. The rate r will still be
negative when there is a decrease, but since it is subtracted from 1, b remains positive.

c) If these trends continue, during what year will the populations be the same?

Near the end of the ninth year (you will get 9.9 as your numerical answer.)

(Set the two equations equal to each other and solve for t. Since you can’t isolate the bases with their
exponents completely from the other numbers, you will need to take the log of a product on one of the sides.
This makes it a little tricky, but it’s not actually very hard if you remember that the log of a product is equal to
the sum of the individual logs. If you take the natural log of both sides, some of your terms will drop out
because lne = 1.)
14) Suppose the half-life of Kryptonite is 300 years. (give answers to 4 decimal places)
a) What is the annual decay rate?

-0.2308%

(Since the question asks for the annual rate, you will need to use 𝒚𝒚 = 𝒂𝒂𝒃𝒃𝒙𝒙 . To write the percent to four
decimal places you will need to round b to 6 decimal places first.)

b) What is the continuous decay rate?

-0.2310%

(Since the question asks for the continuous rate, you will need to use either 𝒚𝒚 = 𝒂𝒂𝒆𝒆𝒌𝒌𝒌𝒌 or 𝟏𝟏 + 𝒓𝒓 = 𝒆𝒆𝒌𝒌 . If you
use the latter formula based on your answer above, your answer will come out a little off due to rounding
error.)

15) What is the inverse of 𝑓𝑓(𝑥𝑥) = 5𝑥𝑥 ? Show the steps to arrive at your answer algebraically.

𝒇𝒇−𝟏𝟏 (𝒙𝒙) = 𝒍𝒍𝒍𝒍𝒍𝒍𝟓𝟓 𝒙𝒙

(Remember, to find an inverse, you interchange x and y and then solve for y. You can rewrite y as 𝒇𝒇−𝟏𝟏 (𝒙𝒙) at
the end.

16) Sketch a graph of the function f ( x ) = 2 x − 4 on the axes below. Be sure to clearly plot at least 2 points.
a) State the domain: (−∞, ∞) and range (−𝟒𝟒, ∞) in interval notation.
b) Does this graph have a vertical asymptote, horizontal asymptote, or neither? horizontal
c) If the graph has an asymptote, write its equation here: 𝒚𝒚 = −𝟒𝟒

Vertical shift down by 4. Points (0,-3) and (1,-2) are two easy points. C (-4 in this problem) is the horizontal
asymptote.
17) Sketch the graph of the function k ( x ) = 2 x − 4 on the axes below. Be sure to clearly plot at least 2 points.
a) State the domain: (−∞, ∞) and range (𝟎𝟎, ∞) in interval notation.
b) Does this graph have a vertical asymptote, horizontal asymptote, or neither? horizontal
c) If the graph has an asymptote, write its equation here: 𝒚𝒚 = 𝟎𝟎

𝟏𝟏
Shifted 4 units to the right. Easy points (0, ), (4,1), and (8,4). C (0 in this problem) is the horizontal asymptote.
𝟏𝟏𝟏𝟏

18) Sketch the graph of the function f ( x ) = log( x + 4 ) on the axes below. Be sure to clearly plot at least 2 points.
a) State the domain: (−𝟒𝟒, ∞) and range (−∞, ∞) in interval notation.
b) Does this graph have a vertical asymptote, horizontal asymptote, or neither? vertical
c) If the graph has an asymptote, write its equation here: 𝒙𝒙 = −𝟒𝟒

Shifted 4 units to the left. Vertical asymptote where 𝒙𝒙 + 𝟒𝟒 = 𝟎𝟎. Domain where 𝒙𝒙 + 𝟒𝟒 > 𝟎𝟎. Easy points at
(-3,0) and (6,1). This graph should be more rounded where it bends but I had a hard time doing it on the
computer.

19) Sketch the graph of the function 𝑚𝑚(𝑥𝑥) = 2𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙𝑙 − 3 on the axes below. Be sure to clearly plot at least 2 points.
a) State the domain: (𝟎𝟎, ∞) and range (−∞, ∞) in interval notation.
b) Does this graph have a vertical asymptote, horizontal asymptote, or neither? vertical
c) If the graph has an asymptote, write its equation here: x = 0
 Shifted down 3 and stretched 2. Vertical asymptote where x = 0. Domain where x > 0. Easy points at (1,-3) and
(10,-1).

20) Write an equation for the exponentials graphed below.

a) b)

𝒚𝒚 = −𝟑𝟑(𝟏𝟏. 𝟑𝟑𝟑𝟑)𝒙𝒙 + 𝟐𝟐 𝒚𝒚 = 𝟑𝟑(𝟎𝟎. 𝟓𝟓)𝒙𝒙 − 𝟐𝟐

(Remember, exponential functions have horizontal asymptotes, so first determine the asymptote. Then use
the basic equation 𝒚𝒚 = 𝒂𝒂𝒃𝒃𝒙𝒙 + 𝒄𝒄 to figure out the equation. C is the asymptote and a and b can be found the
same way you find them for #10.)

21) The average cost of a loaf of white bread from 1986 through 2008 is given below.

Year 1986 1988 1990 1995 1997 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008

Cost 0.57 0.66 0.70 0.84 0.88 0.99 1.03 0.97 1.14 1.42

a) Determine if a linear or exponential model better fits the data, and explain how you know which one is the best
fit. Be specific (Hint: compare the r values.)

Exponential is a better fit because the r value (correlation coefficient) is closer to 1.

(r for exponential regression is 0.97198….. and r for linear regression is 0.94715…. You need to do this
problem on your calculator. Enter the data into your two lists, 𝑳𝑳𝟏𝟏 𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂𝒂 𝑳𝑳𝟐𝟐 using your STAT key. Then choose
 linear regression to find a, b, and r, and then choose exponential regression to find a, b, and r, and compare r
values.)

b) Write the best model here:

𝒚𝒚 = 𝟎𝟎. 𝟓𝟓𝟓𝟓𝟓𝟓(𝟏𝟏. 𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎𝟎)𝒙𝒙

c) Use the best model to predict the price of a loaf of bread in 2016.

$1.67