MA001: College Algebra (2022.A.01)

Getting the variable out of the exponent can be tricky, but you will learn the basics in this section.

The next step in solving exponential equations involves using their inverse, the logarithm. You will work with several different bases and even with exponents that are expressions.

In this unit, you will explore the techniques for solving logarithmic equations. We will begin by using the definition of a logarithm to "undo" it. Then, we will work up to more complex techniques.

Now, we will solve applied problems that involve half-life and the radioactive decay of chemical elements.

Did you know that you can predict the temperature of a cup of hot tea after it sits for 20 minutes? This section will take a deeper look at applications of exponential functions and the behaviors they model in the real world around us. We will explore half-life, radioactive decay, and Newton's law of cooling.

The spread of a virus such as COVID-19 depends on how many people have the virus and how many people are left in the population to which the virus can spread. This behavior can be modeled using a logistic growth model. In this section, you will learn about the different components of a logistic growth model and what behaviors it is used to model.

Now, we will practice building models using datasets. Here, you will see a short video on using an online graphing calculator to do the calculations required. Billions of data points are collected every year in fields from consumer behavior to weather. Fitting this data to a model allows us to explore the behaviors we observe around us meaningfully. The first model you will build is logarithmic.