logarithmic

American  

[law-guh-rith-mik, -rith-, log-uh-] / ˌlɔ gəˈrɪð mɪk, -ˈrɪθ-, ˌlɒg ə- /

Also logarithmical

adjective

Mathematics.

1. pertaining to a logarithm or logarithms.

2. (of an equation) having a logarithm as one or more of its unknowns.

3. (of a function)

   1. pertaining to the function y = log x.

   2. expressible by means of logarithms.

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logarithmic British  

/ ˌlɒɡəˈrɪðmɪk /

adjective

1. of, relating to, using, or containing logarithms of a number or variable

2. consisting of, relating to, or using points or lines whose distances from a fixed point or line are proportional to the logarithms of numbers

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Other Word Forms

• logarithmically adverb

Etymology

Origin of logarithmic

First recorded in 1690–1700; logarithm + -ic

Example Sentences

These phenomena fall within the domain of logarithmic conformal field theories.

From Science Daily

The moment magnitude scale is logarithmic — that is, each whole number of magnitude represents about a 30-fold increase in energy released.

From New York Times

The scale for brightness is reverse logarithmic, which means the brighter an object is, the lower its magnitude number.

From Salon

The scale’s objective, base-10 logarithmic system caught on, and although it’s been superseded, people still attach his name to the scale.

From Los Angeles Times

But the February 6 earthquake was a 7.8—about four times bigger on the logarithmic scale of earthquake magnitudes.

From Scientific American