To rid an equation of logarithms, raise both sides to the same exponent as the base of the logarithms. In equations with mixed terms, collect all the logarithms on one side and simplify first.

What does it mean to simplify a log?

When they tell you to "simplify" a log expression, this usually means they will have given you lots of log terms, each containing a simple argument, and they want you to combine everything into one log with a complicated argument. "Simplifying" in this context usually means the opposite of "expanding".

What is the inverse operation of log?

In mathematics, the logarithm is the inverse operation to exponentiation, just as division is the inverse of multiplication and vice versa. That means the logarithm of a number is the exponent to which another fixed number, the base, must be raised to produce that number.