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Introduction To Logarithms
Introduction To Logarithms
Introduction to Logarithms
In its simplest form, a logarithm answers the question:
So the logarithm is 3
How to Write it
log2(8) = 3
the base: the number we are multiplying (a "2" in the example above)
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More Examples
Example: What is log5(625) ... ?
Answer: log5(625) = 4
Answer: log2(64) = 6
Exponents
Exponents and Logarithms are related, let's find out how ...
exponent The exponent says how many times to use the number in a
multiplication.
3
2 In this example: 23 = 2 × 2 × 2 = 8
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In this way:
exponent
23 = 8 log2(8) = 3
base
So the logarithm answers the question:
102 = 100
log10(100) = 2
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34 = 81
log3(81) = 4
log(100)
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Engineer Mathematician
Example
Thinks Thinks
log(50) log10(50) loge(50) confusion
So, be careful when you read "log" that you know what base they mean!
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Negative Logarithms
−
Negative? But logarithms deal with multiplying.
What is the opposite of multiplying? Dividing!
Well, 1 ÷ 8 = 0,125,
So log8(0,125) = −1
Or many divides:
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1 ÷ 5 ÷ 5 ÷ 5 = 5−3,
So log5(0,008) = −3
.. etc..
1000 1 × 10 × 10 × 10 log10(1000) =3
100 1 × 10 × 10 log10(100) =2
10x Larger
10x Smaller
10 1 × 10 log10(10) =1
1 1 log10(1) =0
0,1 1 ÷ 10 log10(0,1) = −1
0,01 1 ÷ 10 ÷ 10 log10(0,01) = −2
0,001 1 ÷ 10 ÷ 10 ÷ 10 log10(0,001) = −3
.. etc..
Looking at that table, see how positive, zero or negative logarithms are really part of the same
(fairly simple) pattern.
The Word
"Logarithm" is a word made up by Scottish mathematician John Napier
(1550-1617), from the Greek word logos meaning "proportion, ratio or
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word" and arithmos meaning "number", ... which together makes "ratio-
number" !
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