October 18, 2022

Exponential EquationsDefinition, Workings, and Examples

In mathematics, an exponential equation takes place when the variable appears in the exponential function. This can be a frightening topic for students, but with a bit of direction and practice, exponential equations can be determited easily.

This article post will discuss the definition of exponential equations, kinds of exponential equations, steps to solve exponential equations, and examples with solutions. Let's began!

What Is an Exponential Equation?

The initial step to work on an exponential equation is determining when you are working with one.

Definition

Exponential equations are equations that have the variable in an exponent. For example, 2x+1=0 is not an exponential equation, but 2x+1=0 is an exponential equation.

There are two key items to bear in mind for when attempting to figure out if an equation is exponential:

1. The variable is in an exponent (meaning it is raised to a power)

2. There is only one term that has the variable in it (in addition of the exponent)

For example, check out this equation:

y = 3x2 + 7

The most important thing you must observe is that the variable, x, is in an exponent. The second thing you must not is that there is one more term, 3x2, that has the variable in it – just not in an exponent. This means that this equation is NOT exponential.

On the flipside, check out this equation:

y = 2x + 5

Yet again, the first thing you should notice is that the variable, x, is an exponent. The second thing you must note is that there are no other terms that consists of any variable in them. This implies that this equation IS exponential.


You will come across exponential equations when you try solving various calculations in compound interest, algebra, exponential growth or decay, and other functions.

Exponential equations are essential in arithmetic and play a central responsibility in figuring out many mathematical questions. Hence, it is crucial to fully grasp what exponential equations are and how they can be used as you go ahead in arithmetic.

Varieties of Exponential Equations

Variables appear in the exponent of an exponential equation. Exponential equations are remarkable ordinary in everyday life. There are three main types of exponential equations that we can figure out:

1) Equations with the same bases on both sides. This is the simplest to work out, as we can simply set the two equations same as each other and figure out for the unknown variable.

2) Equations with different bases on both sides, but they can be created similar employing properties of the exponents. We will take a look at some examples below, but by converting the bases the equal, you can follow the same steps as the first event.

3) Equations with different bases on each sides that is unable to be made the same. These are the most difficult to figure out, but it’s attainable utilizing the property of the product rule. By raising two or more factors to identical power, we can multiply the factors on each side and raise them.

Once we are done, we can set the two latest equations equal to each other and work on the unknown variable. This blog do not cover logarithm solutions, but we will tell you where to get help at the end of this blog.

How to Solve Exponential Equations

After going through the explanation and kinds of exponential equations, we can now move on to how to solve any equation by ensuing these simple steps.

Steps for Solving Exponential Equations

Remember these three steps that we are required to ensue to solve exponential equations.

Primarily, we must identify the base and exponent variables in the equation.

Next, we have to rewrite an exponential equation, so all terms have a common base. Subsequently, we can work on them utilizing standard algebraic techniques.

Lastly, we have to solve for the unknown variable. Now that we have figured out the variable, we can put this value back into our first equation to discover the value of the other.

Examples of How to Work on Exponential Equations

Let's take a loot at a few examples to observe how these process work in practicality.

First, we will work on the following example:

7y + 1 = 73y

We can see that all the bases are identical. Thus, all you need to do is to restate the exponents and solve utilizing algebra:

y+1=3y

y=½

So, we substitute the value of y in the given equation to support that the form is real:

71/2 + 1 = 73(½)

73/2=73/2

Let's observe this up with a further complex problem. Let's figure out this expression:

256=4x−5

As you have noticed, the sides of the equation do not share a similar base. However, both sides are powers of two. As such, the solution includes decomposing respectively the 4 and the 256, and we can alter the terms as follows:

28=22(x-5)

Now we figure out this expression to conclude the final answer:

28=22x-10

Carry out algebra to work out the x in the exponents as we did in the previous example.

8=2x-10

x=9

We can recheck our work by altering 9 for x in the initial equation.

256=49−5=44

Continue seeking for examples and questions over the internet, and if you utilize the rules of exponents, you will inturn master of these concepts, solving almost all exponential equations with no issue at all.

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Solving problems with exponential equations can be tricky with lack of guidance. Although this guide take you through the fundamentals, you still may face questions or word questions that make you stumble. Or perhaps you require some extra assistance as logarithms come into the scene.

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