logarithm

mathematical process by which an exponent is acquired

by BLED FOR DAYS December 3, 2002

Logarithm

A process of first aid used to help someone who has tripped over a log.

"Oh no I tripped over a log 4 to the base 10!"

"Quickly use the logarithm technique!"

by TheAxis October 26, 2008

Logarithm

MATHEMATICS: The exponent, or power, to which 10 has to be raised to express any positive real number.

Logarithm is derived from Greek logos "reckoning, ratio," and arithmos "number."

Since I can't make a nice table, let's use the following format: Base, Exponent, Expression, Result such that in line 1, Base = 10, Exponent = -3, Expression = 10^-3, Result = 0.001. We obtain,

10, -3,10^-3, 0.001 (or 1/1000) (line 1)

10, -2, 10^-2, 0.01 (or 1/100)

10, -1, 10^-1, 0.1 (or 1/10)

10, 0, 10^0, 1

10, 1, 10^1, 10

10, 2, 10^2, 100 (10 squared)

10, 3, 10^3, 1,000 (10 cubed)

And so forth.

Any positive real number can be expressed as the product of 10 raised to any real number; for example 100,000 can be written as 100 x 1000 = 10^2 x 10^3 = 10^5. Notice that the exponents are additive. It is easy to show that for division the exponents subtract.

Before the advent of hand-held electronic calculators, logarithms and the use of log tables reduced calculating time by converting long-hand multiplication into an addition process and long-hand division into a subtraction process where the result was accurate to three significant figures. One would just look up the logarithms of two or more numbers that were being multiplied, sum the logarithms, and then look up the corresponding number.

Another benefit of using logarithms is that curvilinear data points can be converted into linear data points, and the latter is easier to model with a first-order equation derived using either graph paper or linear regression analysis.

by Nickelman from the boonies. April 4, 2013

Locarian

Someone who only eats meat in certain locations based on the food standards.

I'm a locarian, I only eat meat inside the EU not in post- Brexit Britain

by 22SAE12 October 13, 2020

logarithic

A word to use when you're excited and have nothing else to say.

Suzie: 'look at my new crotchless panties'
Marie: 'they're logarithic'

by Jessica and Kat November 7, 2006

Logarithm

The most crappy (C-RRRR-AAAA-P-EEEE) subject in the world. Logarithms tell how many times a number x must be divided by the base b to get 1, and hence can be considered an inverse of exponentiation. Yeah, whatever!

Me: I have been trying to understand this logarithm crap with its shitty tables for the past seven weeks.

He: Yuck!

by WannaBeCow September 3, 2006

Logarithmic Instinct

When our primitive instinct makes us treat the comparison of large numbers as logarithmic rather than linear—for instance, we feel like the gap between a trillion and a billion is the same as that between a billion and a million, because both are a thousand times bigger, when the jump to a trillion is really much bigger.

When young children are asked which number is halfway between one and nine, their answers are three instead of five, as given by those with formal schooling. Is this a case of logarithmic instinct, where the middle is in relation to multiplication rather than addition: 1 × 3 = 3, 3 × 3 = 9?

by MathPlus October 8, 2020