This doesnt make sense Log base 9 of(1/81) solving exponentially you get -2 on a sci calc i get .01178 why?

OK. It looks like you took the log base 10 of 9 (which is .9542) and multiplied it by 1/81 (which is .01234) to get your .01178. Thus, you found

(1/81)*Log(9).

To get log base 9 of 1/81, i.e.

log_9 (1/81)

you have to find the exponent x where

9^x=1/81.

This exponent will be -2 since

9^(-2)=1/9^2=1/81.

No calculator is needed here!

To find the result on a calculator, you have to find

Log(1/81) (which is -1.908485)

and divide it by

Log(9) (which is .9542425)

to get -2.

Ur calculator is doing log base of 10 or e. Log base 9 of (1/81) is -2.

The way you'd get log base-9 of 1/81 on a calculator would be log(1/81)/log(9). I get -2 when I do that.

.01178 is neither the log to base 10 or base e of 1/81. You must be doing something wrong in the entry. 10 and e are about the only bases available directly on most calculators.

Get a new calculator.