6.

4 Logarithmic Equations and Inequalities 459

6.4 Logarithmic Equations and Inequalities

In Section 6.3 we solved equations and inequalities involving exponential functions using one of
two basic strategies. We now turn our attention to equations and inequalities involving logarithmic
functions, and not surprisingly, there are two basic strategies to choose from. For example, suppose
we wish to solve log2 (x) = log2 (5). Theorem 6.4 tells us that the only solution to this equation
is x = 5. Now suppose we wish to solve log2 (x) = 3. If we want to use Theorem 6.4,
we need to
rewrite 3 as a logarithm base 2. We can use Theorem 6.3 to do just that: 3 = log2 23 = log2 (8).
Our equation then becomes log2 (x) = log2 (8) so that x = 8. However, we could have arrived at the
same answer, in fewer steps, by using Theorem 6.3 to rewrite the equation log2 (x) = 3 as 23 = x,
or x = 8. We summarize the two common ways to solve log equations below.
Steps for Solving an Equation involving Logarithmic Functions
1. Isolate the logarithmic function.

2. (a) If convenient, express both sides as logs with the same base and equate the arguments
of the log functions.
(b) Otherwise, rewrite the log equation as an exponential equation.

Example 6.4.1. Solve the following equations. Check your solutions graphically using a calculator.

1. log117 (1 − 3x) = log117 x2 − 3

2. 2 − ln(x − 3) = 1

3. log6 (x + 4) + log6 (3 − x) = 1 4. log7 (1 − 2x) = 1 − log7 (3 − x)

5. log2 (x + 3) = log2 (6 − x) + 3 6. 1 + 2 log4 (x + 1) = 2 log2 (x)

Solution.

1. Since we have the same base on both sides of the equation log117 (1 − 3x) = log117 x2 − 3 ,

we equate what’s inside the logs to get 1 − 3x = x2 − 3. Solving x2 + 3x − 4 = 0 gives

x = −4 and x = 1. To check these answers using the calculator, we make use of the change
ln(x2 −3)
of base formula and graph f (x) = ln(1−3x)
ln(117) and g(x) = ln(117) and we see they intersect only
at x = −4. To see what happened to the solution x = 1, we substitute it into our original
equation to obtain log117 (−2) = log117 (−2). While these expressions look identical, neither
is a real number,1 which means x = 1 is not in the domain of the original equation, and is
not a solution.

2. Our first objective in solving 2−ln(x−3) = 1 is to isolate the logarithm. We get ln(x−3) = 1,
which, as an exponential equation, is e1 = x − 3. We get our solution x = e + 3. On the
calculator, we see the graph of f (x) = 2 − ln(x − 3) intersects the graph of g(x) = 1 at
x = e + 3 ≈ 5.718.
1
They do, however, represent the same family of complex numbers. We stop ourselves at this point and refer the
reader to a good course in Complex Variables.
460 Exponential and Logarithmic Functions

y = f (x) = log117 (1 − 3x) and y = f (x) = 2 − ln(x − 3) and

y = g(x) = log117 x2 − 3


y = g(x) = 1

3. We can start solving log6 (x + 4) + log6 (3 − x) = 1 by using the Product Rule for logarithms to
rewrite the equation as log6 [(x + 4)(3 − x)] = 1. Rewriting this as an exponential equation,
we get 61 = (x + 4)(3 − x). This reduces to x2 + x − 6 = 0, which gives x = −3 and x = 2.
Graphing y = f (x) = ln(x+4) ln(3−x)
ln(6) + ln(6) and y = g(x) = 1, we see they intersect twice, at
x = −3 and x = 2.

y = f (x) = log6 (x + 4) + log6 (3 − x) and y = g(x) = 1

4. Taking a cue from the previous problem, we begin solving log7 (1 − 2x) = 1 − log7 (3 − x) by
first collecting the logarithms on the same side, log7 (1 − 2x) + log7 (3 − x) = 1, and then using
the Product Rule to get log7 [(1 − 2x)(3 − x)] = 1. Rewriting this as an exponential equation
gives 71 = (1−2x)(3−x) which gives the quadratic equation 2x2 −7x−4 = 0. Solving, we find
x = − 21 and x = 4. Graphing, we find y = f (x) = ln(1−2x) ln(3−x)
ln(7) and y = g(x) = 1− ln(7) intersect
only at x = − 21 . Checking x = 4 in the original equation produces log7 (−7) = 1 − log7 (−1),
which is a clear domain violation.

5. Starting with log2 (x + 3) = log2 (6 − x) + 3, we gather the logarithms to one side and get
log2 (x + 3) − log2 (6 − x) = 3. We then use the Quotient Rule and convert to an exponential
equation  
x+3 x+3
log2 = 3 ⇐⇒ 23 =
6−x 6−x
This reduces to the linear equation 8(6 − x) = x + 3, which gives us x = 5. When we graph
f (x) = ln(x+3) ln(6−x)
ln(2) and g(x) = ln(2) + 3, we find they intersect at x = 5.
6.4 Logarithmic Equations and Inequalities 461

y = f (x) = log7 (1 − 2x) and y = f (x) = log2 (x + 3) and

y = g(x) = 1 − log7 (3 − x) y = g(x) = log2 (6 − x) + 3

6. Starting with 1 + 2 log4 (x + 1) = 2 log2 (x), we gather the logs to one side to get the equation
1 = 2 log2 (x) − 2 log4 (x + 1). Before we can combine the logarithms, however, we need a
common base. Since 4 is a power of 2, we use change of base to convert

log2 (x + 1) 1
log4 (x + 1) = = log2 (x + 1)
log2 (4) 2

Hence, our original equation becomes

1 = 2 log2 (x) − 2 12 log2 (x + 1)

1 = 2 log2 (x) − log2 (x + 1)

1 = log2 x2 − log2 (x + 1)


Power Rule
 2 
x
1 = log2 Quotient Rule
x+1

x 2
Rewriting this in exponential form, we get x+1 = 2 or x2 − 2x − 2 = 0. Using the quadratic
√
formula, we get x = 1 ± 3. Graphing f (x) = 1 + 2 ln(x+1)
ln(4) and g(x) = 2ln(2)
ln(x)
, we see the
√ √
graphs intersect only at x = 1 + 3 ≈ 2.732. The solution√x =
1 − 3 < 0, which means if
substituted into the original equation, the term 2 log2 1 − 3 is undefined.

y = f (x) = 1 + 2 log4 (x + 1) and y = g(x) = 2 log2 (x)

462 Exponential and Logarithmic Functions

If nothing else, Example 6.4.1 demonstrates the importance of checking for extraneous solutions2
when solving equations involving logarithms. Even though we checked our answers graphically,
extraneous solutions are easy to spot - any supposed solution which causes a negative number
inside a logarithm needs to be discarded. As with the equations in Example 6.3.1, much can be
learned from checking all of the answers in Example 6.4.1 analytically. We leave this to the reader
and turn our attention to inequalities involving logarithmic functions. Since logarithmic functions
are continuous on their domains, we can use sign diagrams.

Example 6.4.2. Solve the following inequalities. Check your answer graphically using a calculator.

1 2. (log2 (x))2 < 2 log2 (x) + 3 3. x log(x + 1) ≥ x

1. ≤1
ln(x) + 1

Solution.

1 1
1. We start solving ln(x)+1 ≤ 1 by getting 0 on one side of the inequality: ln(x)+1 − 1 ≤ 0.
1 ln(x)+1 − ln(x)
Getting a common denominator yields ln(x)+1 − ln(x)+1 ≤ 0 which reduces to ln(x)+1 ≤ 0,
ln(x) ln(x)
or ln(x)+1≥ 0. We define r(x) = ln(x)+1 and
set about finding the domain and the zeros
of r. Due to the appearance of the term ln(x), we require x > 0. In order to keep the
denominator away from zero, we solve ln(x) + 1 = 0 so ln(x) = −1, so x = e−1 = 1e . Hence,
ln(x)
the domain of r is 0, 1e ∪ 1e , ∞ . To find the zeros of r, we set r(x) = ln(x)+1



= 0 so that
0
ln(x) = 0, and we find x = e = 1. In order to determine test values for r without resorting
to the calculator, we need to find numbers between 0, 1e , and 1 which have

a base of e. Since
e ≈ 2.718 > 1, 0 < e12 < 1e < √1e < 1 < e. To determine the sign of r e12 , we use the fact that
−2
ln e12 = ln e−2 = −2, and find r e12 = −2+1




= 2, which is (+). The rest of the test values
are determined similarly. From our sign diagram, we find the solution to be 0, 1e ∪ [1, ∞).


1
Graphing f (x) = ln(x)+1 and g(x) = 1, we see the the graph of f is below the graph of g on
the solution intervals, and that the graphs intersect at x = 1.

(+) ‽ (−) 0 (+)

1
0 e 1

1
y = f (x) = ln(x)+1 and y = g(x) = 1
2
Recall that an extraneous solution is an answer obtained analytically which does not satisfy the original equation.
6.4 Logarithmic Equations and Inequalities 463

2. Moving all of the nonzero terms of (log2 (x))2 < 2 log2 (x) + 3 to one side of the inequality,
we have (log2 (x))2 − 2 log2 (x) − 3 < 0. Defining r(x) = (log2 (x))2 − 2 log2 (x) − 3, we get
the domain of r is (0, ∞), due to the presence of the logarithm. To find the zeros of r, we
set r(x) = (log2 (x))2 − 2 log2 (x) − 3 = 0 which results in a ‘quadratic in disguise.’ We set
u = log2 (x) so our equation becomes u2 − 2u − 3 = 0 which gives us u = −1 and u = 3. Since
u = log2 (x), we get log2 (x) = −1, which gives us x = 2−1 = 21 , and log2 (x) = 3, which yields
x = 23 = 8. We use test values which are powers of 2: 0 < 14 < 21 < 1 < 8 < 16, and from our
 2
sign diagram, we see r(x) < 0 on 21 , 8 . Geometrically, we see the graph of f (x) = ln(x)


ln(2)
2 ln(x)
is below the graph of y = g(x) = ln(2) + 3 on the solution interval.

(+) 0 (−) 0 (+)

1
0 2 8

y = f (x) = (log2 (x))2 and y = g(x) = 2 log2 (x) + 3

3. We begin to solve x log(x+1) ≥ x by subtracting x from both sides to get x log(x+1)−x ≥ 0.

We define r(x) = x log(x+1)−x and due to the presence of the logarithm, we require x+1 > 0,
or x > −1. To find the zeros of r, we set r(x) = x log(x + 1) − x = 0. Factoring, we get
x (log(x + 1) − 1) = 0, which gives x = 0 or log(x+1)−1 = 0. The latter gives log(x+1) = 1,
or x + 1 = 101 , which admits x =√9. We select test values x so that x + 1 is a power of 10,
and we obtain −1 < −0.9 < 0 < 10 − 1 < 9 < 99. Our sign diagram gives the solution to
be (−1, 0] ∪ [9, ∞). The calculator indicates the graph of y = f (x) = x log(x + 1) is above
y = g(x) = x on the solution intervals, and the graphs intersect at x = 0 and x = 9.

(+) 0 (−) 0 (+)

−1 0 9

y = f (x) = x log(x + 1) and y = g(x) = x

464 Exponential and Logarithmic Functions

Our next example revisits the concept of pH as first introduced in the exercises in Section 6.1.
Example 6.4.3. In order to successfully breed Ippizuti fish the pH of a freshwater tank must be
at least 7.8 but can be no more than 8.5. Determine the corresponding range of hydrogen ion
concentration, and check your answer using a calculator.
Solution. Recall from Exercise 77 in Section 6.1 that pH = − log[H+ ] where [H+ ] is the hydrogen
ion concentration in moles per liter. We require 7.8 ≤ − log[H+ ] ≤ 8.5 or −7.8 ≥ log[H+ ] ≥ −8.5.
To solve this compound inequality we solve −7.8 ≥ log[H+ ] and log[H+ ] ≥ −8.5 and take the
intersection of the solution sets.3 The former inequality yields 0 < [H+ ] ≤ 10−7.8 and the latter
yields [H+ ] ≥ 10−8.5 . Taking the intersection gives us our final answer 10−8.5 ≤ [H+ ] ≤ 10−7.8 .
(Your Chemistry professor may want the answer written as 3.16 × 10−9 ≤ [H+ ] ≤ 1.58 × 10−8 .)
After carefully adjusting the viewing window on the graphing calculator we see that the graph of
f (x) = − log(x) lies between the lines y = 7.8 and y = 8.5 on the interval [3.16 × 10−9 , 1.58 × 10−8 ].

The graphs of y = f (x) = − log(x), y = 7.8 and y = 8.5

We close this section by finding an inverse of a one-to-one function which involves logarithms.
log(x)
Example 6.4.4. The function f (x) = is one-to-one. Find a formula for f −1 (x) and
1 − log(x)
check your answer graphically using your calculator.
Solution. We first write y = f (x) then interchange the x and y and solve for y.

y = f (x)
log(x)
y =
1 − log(x)
log(y)
x = Interchange x and y.
1 − log(y)
x (1 − log(y)) = log(y)
x − x log(y) = log(y)
x = x log(y) + log(y)
x = (x + 1) log(y)
x
= log(y)
x+1 x
y = 10 x+1 Rewrite as an exponential equation.
3
Refer to page 4 for a discussion of what this means.
6.4 Logarithmic Equations and Inequalities 465

x
We have f −1 (x) = 10 x+1 . Graphing f and f −1 on the same viewing window yields

log(x) x
y = f (x) = and y = g(x) = 10 x+1
1 − log(x)
466 Exponential and Logarithmic Functions

6.4.1 Exercises
In Exercises 1 - 24, solve the equation analytically.

2. log2 x3 = log2 (x)

1. log(3x − 1) = log(4 − x)

3. ln 8 − x2 = ln(2 − x) 4. log5 18 − x2 = log5 (6 − x)

5. log3 (7 − 2x) = 2 6. log 1 (2x − 1) = −3

2

7. ln x2 − 99 = 0 8. log(x2 − 3x) = 1

 
3x − 2 1  x 
9. log125 = 10. log = 4.7
2x + 3 3 10−3
 x 
11. − log(x) = 5.4 12. 10 log = 150
10−12
13. 6 − 3 log5 (2x) = 0 14. 3 ln(x) − 2 = 1 − ln(x)

15. log3 (x − 4) + log3 (x + 4) = 2 16. log5 (2x + 1) + log5 (x + 2) = 1

1 18. ln(x + 1) − ln(x) = 3

17. log169 (3x + 7) − log169 (5x − 9) =
2
19. 2 log7 (x) = log7 (2) + log7 (x + 12) 20. log(x) − log(2) = log(x + 8) − log(x + 2)

21. log3 (x) = log 1 (x) + 8 22. ln(ln(x)) = 3

3

23. (log(x))2 = 2 log(x) + 15 24. ln(x2 ) = (ln(x))2

In Exercises 25 - 30, solve the inequality analytically.

1 − ln(x)
25. <0 26. x ln(x) − x > 0
x2
 x   x 
27. 10 log ≥ 90 28. 5.6 ≤ log ≤ 7.1
10−12 10−3
29. 2.3 < − log(x) < 5.4 30. ln(x2 ) ≤ (ln(x))2

In Exercises 31 - 34, use your calculator to help you solve the equation or inequality.
√
31. ln(x) = e−x 32. ln(x) = 4
x

33. ln(x2 + 1) ≥ 5 34. ln(−2x3 − x2 + 13x − 6) < 0

6.4 Logarithmic Equations and Inequalities 467

35. Since f (x) = ex is a strictly increasing function, if a < b then ea < eb . Use this fact to
solve the inequality ln(2x + 1) < 3 without a sign diagram. Use this technique to solve the
inequalities in Exercises 27 - 29. (Compare this to Exercise 46 in Section 6.3.)

36. Solve ln(3 − y) − ln(y) = 2x + ln(5) for y.

log(x) x
37. In Example 6.4.4 we found the inverse of f (x) = to be f −1 (x) = 10 x+1 .
1 − log(x)

(a) Show that f −1 ◦ f (x) = x for all x in the domain of f and that f ◦ f −1 (x) = x for

all x in the domain of f −1 .

(b) Find the range of f by finding the domain of f −1 .
x
(c) Let g(x) = and h(x) = log(x). Show that f = g ◦ h and (g ◦ h)−1 = h−1 ◦ g −1 .
1−x
(We know this is true in general by Exercise 31 in Section 5.2, but it’s nice to see a
specific example of the property.)
 
1 1+x
38. Let f (x) = ln . Compute f −1 (x) and find its domain and range.
2 1−x
39. Explain the equation in Exercise 10 and the inequality in Exercise 28 above in terms of the
Richter scale for earthquake magnitude. (See Exercise 75 in Section 6.1.)

40. Explain the equation in Exercise 12 and the inequality in Exercise 27 above in terms of sound
intensity level as measured in decibels. (See Exercise 76 in Section 6.1.)

41. Explain the equation in Exercise 11 and the inequality in Exercise 29 above in terms of the
pH of a solution. (See Exercise 77 in Section 6.1.)
√
42. With the help of your classmates, solve the inequality n x > ln(x) for a variety of natural
numbers n. What might you conjecture about the “speed” at which f (x) = ln(x) grows
versus any principal nth root function?
468 Exponential and Logarithmic Functions

6.4.2 Answers
5
1. x = 4 2. x = 1 3. x = −2
9
4. x = −3, 4 5. x = −1 6. x = 2

7. x = ±10 8. x = −2, 5 9. x = − 17
7

10. x = 101.7 11. x = 10−5.4 12. x = 103

25
13. x = 2 14. x = e3/4 15. x = 5
1 1
16. x = 2 17. x = 2 18. x = e3 −1

19. x = 6 20. x = 4 21. x = 81

3
22. x = ee 23. x = 10−3 , 105 24. x = 1, x = e2

27. 10−3 , ∞


25. (e, ∞) 26. (e, ∞)

28. 102.6 , 104.1 29. 10−5.4 , 10−2.3 30. (0, 1] ∪ [e2 , ∞)

 

31. x ≈ 1.3098 32. x ≈ 4.177, x ≈ 5503.665

33. ≈ (−∞, −12.1414) ∪ (12.1414, ∞) 34. ≈ (−3.0281, −3)∪(0.5, 0.5991)∪(1.9299, 2)

1 e3 − 1 3
35. − < x < 36. y =
2 2 5e2x +1
e2x
−1 ex− e−x
38. f −1 (x) = = x . (To see why we rewrite this in this form, see Exercise 51 in
e2x
+1 e + e−x
Section 11.10.) The domain of f −1 is (−∞, ∞) and its range is the same as the domain of f ,
namely (−1, 1).