Math Help - Simplify Natural Logarithm

1. Simplify Natural Logarithm

How do I simplify this? $ln(x^9 \sqrt{4-x^2})$ Thanks

2. Originally Posted by zsig013
How do I simplify this? $ln(x^9 \sqrt{4-x^2})$ Thanks
You know that $ln(ab) = ln(a) + ln(b)$ so
$ln(x^9 \sqrt{4-x^2}) = ln(x^9) + ln(\sqrt{4 - x^2})$

Rewrite that last term:
$= ln(x^9) + ln((4 - x^2)^{1/2})$

Now recall that $ln(a^b) = b \cdot ln(a)$, sooooooo.....
$= 9 \cdot ln(x) + \frac{1}{2} \cdot ln(4 - x^2)$

Now, you could finish here, but there's one last thing we can do:
$4 - x^2 = (2 + x)(2 - x)$, so looking at that last term again:
$= 9 \cdot ln(x) + \frac{1}{2} \cdot ln((2 + x)(2 - x))$

$= 9 \cdot ln(x) + \frac{1}{2} \cdot ln(2 + x) + \frac{1}{2} \cdot ln(2 - x)$

-Dan

3. Thanks a lot.. I was thinking along the same lines there, but wouldn't that be considered expanded?

4. Originally Posted by zsig013
Thanks a lot.. I was thinking along the same lines there, but wouldn't that be considered expanded?
The term "simplify" is kind of hard to define. The result of simplifying an expression depends heavily on what use you have for the form of the final answer. In this case I am assuming that we are going to want the arguments of the ln function to have the lowest degree possible.

-Dan

5. Glad you cleared that up.. I submitted my quiz and got it right. I was bashing my head on the keyboard for half an hour trying to figure out how to "simplify" that problem. I initially had that written down, but thought nah that can't be it.