What is the logarithm?

A logarithm is the power to which a number must be raised in order to get some other number (see Section 3 of this Math Review for more about exponents). For example, the base ten logarithm of 100 is 2, because ten raised to the power of two is 100: log 100 = 2. because. 102 = 100.

What is logarithm and why is it important?

Logarithms are a convenient way to express large numbers. (The base-10 logarithm of a number is roughly the number of digits in that number, for example.) Slide rules work because adding and subtracting logarithms is equivalent to multiplication and division. (This benefit is slightly less important today.)

What is logarithmic table?

In mathematics, the logarithm table is used to find the value of the logarithmic function. The simplest way to find the value of the given logarithmic function is by using the log table.

How was logarithms invented?

The Scottish mathematician John Napier published his discovery of logarithms in 1614. His purpose was to assist in the multiplication of quantities that were then called sines. The whole sine was the value of the side of a right-angled triangle with a large hypotenuse. (Napier’s original hypotenuse was 107.)

How was the log table created?

He started by taking 54 successive square roots of 10, working to 30 decimal places, until he found the number whose base-10 logarithm is 1/254. Together with all the intermediate results this enabled him to raise 10 to various other fractional powers and create a logarithm table.

How do you use a log table in physics?

Look up the logarithms of the two numbers you want to multiply. Use the method above to find the logarithms. For example, if you want to multiply 15.27 and 48.54, you would find the log of 15.27 to be 1.1838 and the log of 48.54 to be 1.6861. Add the two logarithms to find the logarithm of the solution.

How do logarithms apply to real life?

Much of the power of logarithms is their usefulness in solving exponential equations. Some examples of this include sound (decibel measures), earthquakes (Richter scale), the brightness of stars, and chemistry (pH balance, a measure of acidity and alkalinity).