Solve Exponential and Logarithm Problems

Problems on Exponential and logarithm, some of the most important concepts in mathematics, are presented along with detailed solutions.

Problem 1:


The population P of a city increases according to the formula \[ P = 5000 e^{a t}\] where \( t \) is in years and \( t = 0 \) corresponds to 1980. In 1990, the population was 10000. Find the value of the constant a and approximate your answer to 3 decimal places.

Detailed Solution.

Problem 2:

The populations P1 and P2 of two cities are given by the formulas \[ P1 = 10000 e^{k t} \] \[ P2 = 20000 e^{ 0.01 t} \] where \( k \) is a constant and t is the time in years with t = 0 corresponding to the year 2000. Find constant k so that the two populations are equal in the year 2020 and approximate your answer to 3 decimal places.

Detailed Solution.

Problem 3:

The level of sound \( D \) in decibels is defined as follows \[ D = 10 \log\!\left(\dfrac{I}{10^{-16}}\right) \] where I is the sound intensity in watts per centimeters squared. Determine the level in decibels of a sound with intensity \( I = 10^{-8}\ \text{watts/cm}^2 \) .

Detailed Solution.

Problem 4:

Two sounds of intensities \(I_1\) and \( I_2 \) have decibel levels of 60 and 80 respectively. Use the formula for decibel level given in problem 3 to determine the ratio of the intensities \( \dfrac{ I_2 }{ I_1} \)?

Detailed Solution.

Problem 5:

The spread of a virus through a city is modeled by the function \[ N = \dfrac{15000}{1 + 100 e^{-0.5t}} \] where \( N \) is the number of people infected by the virus after \( t \) days. How many days it takes for 2000 people of this city to be infected with the virus? (approximate your answer to 3 decimal places).

Detailed Solution.

Problem 6:

The amount of a radioactive material decays according to the formula \[ A(t) = A_0 e^{-k t} \] where \( A_0 \) is the initial amount, \( k \) is a positive constant and \( t \) is the time in days. Find a formula for the half life of the material.

Detailed Solution.

Problem 7:

A logistic equation has the form \[ y = \dfrac{a}{1 + b e^{-kt}} \] where\( a \), \( b \) and \(k \) are constants. Solve the above equation for \( t \).

Detailed Solution.

Problem 8:

The voltage \( V(t) \) across an electrical component is given by \[ V(t) = V_0 e^{- a t } \] where \( a \) is a positive constant depending on the values of the electronic components included in the electrical circuit and \( V_0 \) is the initial voltage.
Find \( t \) for which \( V(t) \) is equal to \( 50\% \) of \( V_0 \).

Detailed Solution.

Problem 9:

The signal ratio in decibels of an electronic system is given by the formula \[ 10 \log\!\left(\dfrac{P_{o}}{P_{i}}\right) \] where P o is the output power and Pi is the input power of the system. Find the input power \( P_i \) if the output power is equal to 10 mw and the signal ratio in decibels is equal to 10 decibels.

Detailed Solution.

Problem 10:

The current \( i \) flowing in an RL circuit is given by \[ i = \dfrac{E}{R} \left[ 1 - e^{-\dfrac{Rt}{L}} \right] \] where \( E \) is the voltage applied to the circuit, \( R \) is the resistance and \( L \) is the inductance. Express \( i \) in terms of \( E \) and \( R \) when \( t = \dfrac{L}{R} \).

Detailed Solution.

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