Unit – Exponential & Logarithmic Functions

Progress Check

The purpose of the progress check is to diagnose areas that you need more practice with before the test.
1. Review your notes before trying the questions in this package.
2. Answer the questions on this handout. Treat it like a test. Do NOT look at the answers until you have
finished all of the questions.
3. Use the answers provided to check and see how you did.
4. Use the additional review questions provided in the textbook (see unit outline) to practice more
questions like the ones that you had trouble with in this package.
5. Although this package contains a wide selection of questions from this unit, it does not cover ALL of
the possible questions from the unit. Do not expect the test to be a replica of this progress check.
6. Students who are absent on the day of a test will receive a penalty of 5% per day unless prior
arrangements have been made with your teacher. Students who miss multiple tests may face further

1. Evaluate each of the following using logarithmic rules.

2

 27  3 1
a)   b) log31 c) log 4  
 64   16 

1
 1 
d) log(1000) 2 e) log5123 (round to 2 decimal places) f) log 5    log 4 256  log100 10
 25 
2. Simplify each of the following.
1

a)
 9a 2 b 4 c6  2
b) 3log 4 (3x)  log 4 (4x 2 )  log 4 (6x 4 )
2

8b c 
6 3 3

c) 2 log( x  1)  log( x 2  1) d) log 2x (5x 1 )  3log 2x (4x 2 )  log 2x 10

3. Solve the following equations. Check for extraneous answers.

a) 3x + 4 = 81 b) 492x – 1 = 343x + 5
c) 12x + 5 = 300 d) log5(x – 4) = log510

e) log6(x + 1) = 2 f) 2 log 3 (4 x  1)  4

g) log12 x  log12 ( x  2)  1  2 h) log 5 (2 x  2)  log 5 ( x  1)  log 5 ( x  1)

i) 3 2 x  7(3 x )  12 j) log 4 (4x 2  1)  2 log 4 (2x  1)  log 4 5

k) 2x + 3 – 2x + 1 = 30 l) 4x + 5 = 6x
 1 
4. For the function g ( x)  2 log 3  ( x  2)   1 :
2 
a) State the transformations on log3X that produced g(x).

b) Graph g(x).

x y x y 20

15

10

0
‐20 ‐15 ‐10 ‐5 0 5 10 15 20

‐5

‐10

‐15

‐20

c) State the domain and range for g(x).

d) Calculate the average rate of change between x = 0 and x = 4.

5. Are there any numbers that you cannot take the log of? Explain.

6. Which of the following graphs is logarithmic (circle it)? Explain in words how you know.
 

 

 

 

 

                   
 

 

 

 

 

7. The pH of a substance can be calculated using the formula pH = -log[H+], where [H+] is the hydrogen
ion concentration. Substance A has a pH of 6.8. Substance B has a hydrogen ion concentration that is
1.532 × 10-5 more than Substance A’s concentration. What is the pH of Substance B? Round your
final answer to 2 decimal places, if necessary.

t
8. The value (A) of a rare painting can be modeled by the formula A  100000(3 ) , where t is the time 30

in years. How long will it take until the painting is worth $1000000? Round your final answer to 2
decimal places, if necessary.
  P 
 ln 
 760 
9. The approximate distance above sea level, d, in kilometres, is given by h  where P is the
0.145
atmospheric pressure, in mm of mercury.

a) Among the highest inhabited buildings in the world are those in the Indian Tibetan border fort of
Basisi. If the atmospheric pressure at Basisi is 271.5 mm of mercury, how far above sea level is the
fort? Round your final answer to 2 decimal places, if necessary.

b) Sir Edmund Hillary was the first person to reach the top of Mount Everest, 8.85 kilometres above
sea level. Calculate the pressure at the top of the mountain. Round your final answer to 2 decimal
places, if necessary.

1 x A 301
10. The function y 
3
 5   4 has a y-intercept of
75
. Determine the value of A.

11. An earthquake in the Indian Ocean measured 9.0 on the Richter scale. The largest recorded
earthquake occurred in 1960 in Chile and measured 9.4 on the Richter scale. How much more intense
was the earthquake in Chile than the one in the Indian Ocean?