logarithm
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
1Words 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.
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 | FiveThirtyEightThis 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 MagazineThe 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 StudentsIf 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 CajoriWhat is the probability that the fifth decimal of a logarithm taken at random from a table is a '9'?
We can calculate our logarithm without recourse to the table, but we do not wish to give ourselves the trouble.
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
/ (ˈlɒɡəˌrɪðəm) /
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
1Collins 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
[ 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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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