Q. Evaluate the logarithm.Round your answer to the nearest thousandth.log4(0.6)≈
Problem Understanding: Understand the problem.We need to find the value of the logarithm of 0.6 with base 4, which is written as log4(0.6). This means we are looking for the power to which 4 must be raised to get 0.6.
Change of Base Formula: Use the change of base formula.The change of base formula allows us to write log4(0.6) in terms of a logarithm with a more common base, such as base 10 or base e (natural logarithm). We will use base 10 for this calculation.The change of base formula is:loga(b)=logc(a)logc(b)So, log4(0.6)=log10(4)log10(0.6)
Calculating Values: Calculate the values using a calculator.Using a calculator, we find:log10(0.6)≈−0.2218 (to four decimal places)log10(4)≈0.6021 (to four decimal places)Now we divide these two values to find log4(0.6).log4(0.6)≈0.6021−0.2218
Performing Division: Perform the division.−0.2218/0.6021≈−0.368 (rounded to the nearest thousandth)
Result Checking: Check the result.Since 4 raised to any positive power will be greater than 1, and 4 raised to any negative power will be less than 1, it makes sense that log4(0.6) is negative because 0.6 is less than 1. This is a sanity check for our result.
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