Chapter 19: Fundamental Mathematics
pg: 205 - 207
Essential skills for science and technology
by
Logarithms seem to confuse people far more than powers, which is unusual as they are essentially opposite functions.
Recall:
Generally, we are concerned with base ten (i.e., in the above equation, y = 10).
So, the above equation "simplifies" to
HINT: If you forget this link between the two concepts, look on your calculator! Generally the log button has its reverse function (10x) with it.
The most commonly-encountered use of common use of logarithms in pharmacy (and chemistry) is the pH scale. The pH of a solution is equal to the negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration:
pH is inversely related to hydrogen ion concentration as follows:
As the pH scale uses base ten, each whole number on the pH scale is different to the next number by a factor of ten (e.g., pH 5 is ten times more acidic than pH 6).
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