standard_description: Explain how the definition of the meaning of rational exponents follows from extending the properties of integer exponents to those values, allowing for a notation for radicals in terms of rational exponents. For example, we define 5^(1/3) to be the cube root of 5 because we want (5^(1/3))^(3) = 5(^(1/3))^(3) to hold, so (5^(1/3))^(3) must equal 5.
problem_activity: Task
Below is a picture of the functions $f(x) = \log_b{x}$ and $g(x) = b^x$. In the application below, the base b varies between 1 and 2 (by hundredths) and pressing the "play" button will run through all possible values of b.
For which values of $b$ do the two graphs appear not to meet?
For which values of $b$ do the two graphs appear to meet in two points?
Check by evaluating the functions $f$ and $g$ that the two graphs meet at $x=e$ when $b = e^{\frac{1}{e}}$.


aligns: no