Chapter 1: Problem 12
Simplify. \(10^{\log \sqrt{2}}\)
Short Answer
Expert verified
The simplified form is \(\sqrt{2}\).
Step by step solution
01
Understand the Expression
The expression given is \(10^{\log \sqrt{2}}\). This is an exponentiation where the base is 10, and the exponent is the logarithm of \(\sqrt{2}\).
02
Apply Logarithmic Identity
Recall that an important logarithmic identity is \(a^{\log_b c} = c^{\log_b a}\). In this problem, \(a = 10\), \(b = 10\), and \(c = \sqrt{2}\). Thus, the expression can be rewritten as \(\sqrt{2}^{\log_{10} 10}\).
03
Simplify Using Base Identity
Since \(\log_{10} 10 = 1\), simplify the expression \(\sqrt{2}^{1}\) to simply \(\sqrt{2}\). Therefore, \(10^{\log \sqrt{2}} = \sqrt{2}\).
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Key Concepts
These are the key concepts you need to understand to accurately answer the question.
Understanding Exponentiation
Exponentiation is a mathematical operation involving two numbers: the base and the exponent. The base is the number being multiplied, while the exponent specifies how many times the base is used as a factor. Consider the example of exponentiation:
- For instance, in the expression \(10^3\), 10 is the base, and 3 is the exponent. This means that 10 is multiplied by itself three times, resulting in 1000.
- Exponentiation is a powerful concept and is fundamental in many areas of mathematics and science. It represents repeated multiplication, offering a concise way to express large numbers.
- In the context of our exercise, we encounter the base as 10 and the exponent as \(\log \sqrt{2}\). Here, the exponent is a logarithmic expression which we will decode next.
Logarithmic Identity Simplified
A logarithm is the inverse operation of exponentiation. It answers the question: 'To what exponent must the base be raised to produce a given number?'. Logarithmic identities help in manipulating and simplifying expressions involving logarithms. Let's go through the key identity used here:
- The crucial identity applied in the given problem is \(a^{\log_b c} = c^{\log_b a}\). This means that an exponent raised to a logarithm can be creatively rearranged where the base and argument of the logarithm are swapped, provided the base remains consistent.
- In simpler terms, using this identity means we take \(10^{\log_{10} \sqrt{2}}\) and realize it can be rewritten as \(\sqrt{2}^{\log_{10} 10}\).
- Such rewriting is often advantageous, especially when simplifying based on known logarithmic values, like \(\log_{10} 10\).
Expression Simplification
Simplifying expressions is about reducing them to their simplest form without changing their value. In our exercise, we initially had the expression \(10^{\log \sqrt{2}}\).
- After applying the logarithmic identity, we transformed it to \(\sqrt{2}^{\log_{10} 10}\).
- Recognizing that \(\log_{10} 10\) equals 1 makes this step straightforward; raising a number to power 1 yields the number itself.
- Thus, \(\sqrt{2}^{1}\) simplifies directly to \(\sqrt{2}\).
- The original complex-looking expression \(10^{\log \sqrt{2}}\) is now simplified to just \(\sqrt{2}\).