Quotient Rule Worksheet
Quotient Rule Worksheet
com
Relevant urls:
Log Rules: www.mathwarehouse.com/logs/
In other words, for any positive numbers X and Y and any positive base b, the following formula
is true:
X
logb = logbX – logbY
Y
Example 1
5
Simplify log2 .
8
5 Use the Quotient Rule for Logarithms.
log2 = log25 – log28
8
In the following example you will evaluate the logarithm using known values.
Example 2
3
Given log23 = 1.58 and log217 = 4.09, find log2 .
17
3 Use the Quotient Rule for Logarithms.
log2 = log23 – log217
17
= 1.58 – 4.09 Substitute.
= –2.51 Simplify.
The next example shows how to rewrite a difference as the logarithm of a single number.
Example 3
11 9
1. log2 = __________ 2. log2 = __________
2 5
4 18
3. log2 = __________ 4. log2 = __________
7 7
16 25
5. log2 = __________ 6. log2 = __________
5 3
Example 4
xy
Simplify log2
z
.
x m
13. log2 = __________ 14. log2 = __________
ab p
4 rs
15. log2 = __________ 16. log2 = __________
x 16
V.Extension Problems
25
17. Let logb5 = x and logb3 = y. What is the value of logb in terms of x and y?
3
7x
Directions: Simplify log2
3
.
7 x
log2 = log2(7x) – log23
3
= log27 – log2x – log23
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What should the student have done instead of what he or she did?
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Answer Key
1. log211 – log22 = log211 – 2
2. log29 – log25
3. log24 – log27 = 2 – log27
4. log218 – log27
5. log216 – log25 = 4 – log25
6. log225 – log23
7. log32
8. log22 = 1
9. log5(6/11)
10. log34
11. log33 = 1
12. log54
13. log2x – log2a – log2b
14. log2m – log2p
15. 2 – log2x
16. log2r + log2s – 4
17. 2x – y
18. The student incorrectly simplified log2(7x) as log27 – log2x.
19. Let M/N be a fraction between 0 and 1 (thus M < N). By the Quotient Rule for Logarithms,
log(M/N) equals log(M) – log(N). Since M < N, log(M) < log(N) and the difference log(M) –
log(N) is negative.