Logarithmic form

Logarithmic form is a way to express a number using exponents. It helps us compare numbers that are very different in size. Let's say you want to compare five children, each who have different numbers of pets - Billy has two pets, Susie has four pets, Joe has eight pets, Annie has sixteen pets, and Sam has thirty-two pets. To do this, we use logarithmic form to rewrite each of their pet numbers. We do that by saying that each number is an exponent of 2 - so Billy's two pets become 2^1, Susie's four pets become 2^2, Joe's eight pets become 2^3, Annie's sixteen pets become 2^4, and Sam's thirty-two pets become 2^5. That way, we can easily compare how many pets each person has in one look!