Question

How would you explain the relationship between an exponential function and a logarithmic function to an English major you are tutoring in math? Can you give me a real life example of it?

Answer 1

This is a really interesting question!! exponential functions and logarithmic functions are actually inverses functions; the way to "undo" logarithms is by exponents, the way to "undo" exponents is by logarithms. an exponent tells you how many times you need to multiply a value; logarithms ask what exponent you need to get a certain value. you could use logarithms and exponents to calculate interest rates, as a real life example. they can also be used in calculating population growth or the half-life of an organism in biology.