Exponential and Logarithmic Functions
Exponential and Logarithmic Functions
Another important class of functions besides
polynomials is exponential and
logarithmic functions. Exponential and logarithmic functions are
inverses of each other. An exponential
function is a function of the form
f (x) = a
x
, where
a > 0, a≠1
, and
x
is any real number. The inverse of this function is a logarithmic function,
f (x) = loga
x
. In the following sections, we'll review some characteristics
of exponents and logarithms, and see how they apply to functions with
exponents and logarithms. We'll also discuss the number
e 
2.718281828…
and its special relevance to these types of functions. In
the last section we'll take a look at some applications of these functions.
