How To: Use log to solve for an unknown variable

Thinking of an unknown exponent as a cat stuck in a tree, you will see how to bring down the exponent by using the the log function. In other words, you will be utilizing the Power Law to bring the exponent down in front of the log function. In this slightly more complicated example, a little work has to be done to first be able to take the log (i.e., get the base by itself). Then once you take the log, the unknown still isn't entirely by itself, so you divide off everything it's being multiplied by. Got it? From Ramanujan to calculus co-creator Gottfried Leibniz, many of the world's best and brightest mathematical minds have belonged to autodidacts. And, thanks to the Internet, it's easier than ever to follow in their footsteps (or just finish your homework or study for that next big test).