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Enter 637 in your calculator. Now press the "log" button:
log637 = 2.80
That's it!
Another way to look at this, from our earlier definition of a logarithm, is that if you put 2.80 as the exponent above 10, you would get 637 (exponents do not have to be whole numbers).
If you do not have a "log" button on your calculator, you must acquire a scientific calculator for this course.
At the end of a math problem always ask yourself does this answer make sense? Be sure to routinely estimate what you think the answer would be to verify your work. Say to yourself...637 is larger than 100, yet smaller than 1000. If log100 = 2 and log1000 = 3, then my answer should be between these results, or in the range of 2-3. It is!
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