Example: Solving a Logarithm Equation
The Goal
Solve the following equation for y:
The Mistake
Find the algebra mistake:
Need a hint? Look carefully at the red part of the algebra:
The Correction
An Explanation
Instead of dividing by -4 the student added 4 to both sides. The mistake has nothing to do with logarithms. The correct step is:
Check the following complete solution (use the logarithm rules ln(a/b) = ln(a) - ln(b) and ln(1) = 0):
