EXPONENTIAL & LOGARITHMIC VERBAL PROBLEM

WORKSHEET - ANSWER KEY

1) Andy put $5,600 into an account at Big Money, No Whammy Savings and Loan that pays 4%
interest per year, compounded quarterly.

a) In how many years will his investment double (to the nearest tenth of a year)?
nt 4t
⎛ r⎞ ⎛ 0.04 ⎞
A = P ⎜1 + ⎟ → 11200 = 5600 ⎜ 1 + ⎟ → 2 = (1.01)4t → log 2 = 4t log1.01
⎝ n⎠ ⎝ 4 ⎠
log 2
→ = t → t ≈ 17.4 years
4 log1.01
b) Andy is a very fancy, fancy person. He wants to buy a $50,000 Lexus, but his parents have
refused to pay a dime toward such an extravagant purchase. How long will it take him to save
enough at Big Money, No Whammy Savings and Loan to buy the car of his dreams (to the
nearest year)?
nt 4t
⎛ r⎞ ⎛ 0.04 ⎞ log 9
A = P ⎜1 + ⎟ → 50400 = 5600 ⎜1 + ⎟ → 9 = (1.01) 4t → log 9 = 4t log1.01 → = t → t ≈ 55 years
⎝ n⎠ ⎝ 4 ⎠ 4 log1.01

2) The number of Canadian geese roaming Harris Field grows every year according to the function
G (t ) = 24(1.2314)t , where t = the number of years since 2006. Mr. Fox, in his infinite wisdom, has
suggested that dogs should be hired to chase the geese, but the dog squads will not work for
geese populations fewer than 70.

a) What is meant by the 24 in the given equation? What is meant by the 1.2314 in the equation?
- 24 = the initial population of geese in 2006
- 1.2314 = the rate at which the geese increase per year
b) In what year can Mr. Fox hire the geese chasers?
70 ⎛ 70 ⎞ log 70 − log 24
70 = 24(1.2314)t → = 1.2314t → log ⎜ ⎟ = t log1.2314 → t = → t ≈ 5.143 → Year 2012.
24 ⎝ 24 ⎠ log1.2314

3) Deirdre and Alan graduated with masters degrees in business in May 2000 and accepted jobs at
competing firms. Deirdre’s contracted salary is represented by the function D (t ) = 46,500(1.082)t ,
while Alan’s salary is represented by the function A(t ) = 51, 000(1.065)t .

a) In what year will Deirdre and Alan earn the same salary?

46500 1.065t ⎛ 46500 ⎞ ⎛ 1.065t ⎞

46,500(1.082) = 51, 000(1.065) →
t t
= → log ⎜ ⎟ = log ⎜ t ⎟
51000 1.082t ⎝ 51000 ⎠ ⎝ 1.082 ⎠
→ log 46500 − log 51000 = t log1.065 + t log1.082 → log 46500 − log 51000 = t (log1.065 − log1.082)

→t =
( log 46500 − log 51000 ) → t ≈ 5.833 → Year 2006
( log1.065 − log1.082 )
 b) What will the salary be (to the nearest dollar)?

46500(1.082)5.833 = $73, 638

4) A sample of 32 grams of an unknown substance has a half-life of 1,200 years.

a) Write an equation to determine the amount of substance, S, left after t years.

t
⎛1⎞ t
OR S = 32 ( 2 )
1200 −
S = 32 ⎜ ⎟ 1200
⎝2⎠
b) Approximately how long will it take for 0.1 grams of the substance to remain
(to the nearest year)?

t t
⎛ t ⎞
0.1 = 32 ( 0.5 )1200 → 0.003125 = ( 0.5 )1200 → log 0.003125 = ⎜ ⎟ log ( 0.5 )
⎝ 1200 ⎠
1200(log 0.003125)
→t = → t ≈ 9,986 years
log ( 0.5 )