Use the properties of logarithms to expand the expression. Show your work by writing on paper or using the mathtype option. log(a^5/b)

1 answer

To expand the expression \(\log\left(\frac{a^5}{b}\right)\) using the properties of logarithms, we can apply the following rules:

  1. The logarithm of a quotient: \[ \log\left(\frac{x}{y}\right) = \log(x) - \log(y) \]

  2. The logarithm of a power: \[ \log(x^n) = n \cdot \log(x) \]

Now, let's apply these rules step-by-step to the given expression.

Starting with: \[ \log\left(\frac{a^5}{b}\right) \]

We can first apply the quotient rule: \[ \log\left(\frac{a^5}{b}\right) = \log(a^5) - \log(b) \]

Next, we apply the power rule to \(\log(a^5)\): \[ \log(a^5) = 5 \cdot \log(a) \]

Now we can substitute this into our expression: \[ \log\left(\frac{a^5}{b}\right) = 5 \cdot \log(a) - \log(b) \]

Therefore, the expanded expression is: \[ \log\left(\frac{a^5}{b}\right) = 5 \log(a) - \log(b) \]