logarithm

[ law-guh-rith-uhm, -rith-, log-uh- ]

See synonyms for logarithm on Thesaurus.com

nounMathematics.

the exponent of the power to which a base number must be raised to equal a given number; log: 2 is the logarithm of 100 to the base 10 (2 = log10 100).

Origin of logarithm

1605–15; <New Latin logarithmus<Greek lóg(os) log- + arithmós number; see arithmetic

Words Nearby logarithm

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use logarithm in a sentence

In 1614 John Napier had invented logarithms, showing how multiplication could be accomplished by addition.
Here are the Top 10 science anniversaries of 2022 | Tom Siegfried | January 28, 2022 | Science News
FiveThirtyEight’s urbanization index is calculated as the natural logarithm of the average number of people living within a five-mile radius of a given resident.
What Democrats Can Learn From Nebraska’s Shift To The Right | Ross Benes (rossbenes@gmail.com) | December 30, 2020 | FiveThirtyEight
This quantity is defined as the logarithm of a matrix — an array of numbers.
The Most Famous Paradox in Physics Nears Its End | George Musser | October 29, 2020 | Quanta Magazine
The new formula relies on the mathematical concept known as logarithms.
To figure out your dog’s ‘real’ age, you’ll need a calculator | Bethany Brookshire | August 12, 2020 | Science News For Students
If the characteristic of a logarithm is negative, Oughtred indicates this fact by placing the - above the characteristic.
William Oughtred | Florian Cajori

The logarithm of the number is then obtained by adding the previously calculated logarithms of the factors.
William Oughtred | Florian Cajori
What is the probability that the fifth decimal of a logarithm taken at random from a table is a '9'?
The Foundations of Science: Science and Hypothesis, The Value of Science, Science and Method | Henri Poincar
We can calculate our logarithm without recourse to the table, but we do not wish to give ourselves the trouble.
The Foundations of Science: Science and Hypothesis, The Value of Science, Science and Method | Henri Poincar
In July, while at work on logarithm tables, he was overtaken by a sudden fainting fit, evidently of an epileptic nature.
Shandygaff | Christopher Morley

British Dictionary definitions for logarithm

logarithm

/ (ˈlɒɡəˌrɪðəm) /

noun

the exponent indicating the power to which a fixed number, the base, must be raised to obtain a given number or variable. It is used esp to simplify multiplication and division: if a x = M, then the logarithm of M to the base a (written log a M) is x: Often shortened to: log See also common logarithm, natural logarithm

Origin of logarithm

C17: from New Latin logarithmus, coined 1614 by John Napier, from Greek logos ratio, reckoning + arithmos number

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for logarithm

logarithm

[ lô′gə-rĭð′əm ]

The power to which a base must be raised to produce a given number. For example, if the base is 10, then the logarithm of 1,000 (written log 1,000 or log10 1,000) is 3 because 103 = 1,000. See more at common logarithm natural logarithm.

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