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The logarithm is denoted "log b x" (pronounced as "the logarithm of x to base b", "the base-b logarithm of x", or most commonly "the log, base b, of x "). An equivalent and more succinct definition is that the function log b is the inverse function to the function x ↦ b x {\displaystyle x\mapsto b^{x}} .
The natural logarithm function, if considered as a real-valued function of a positive real variable, is the inverse function of the exponential function, leading to the identities: = + = Like all logarithms, the natural logarithm maps multiplication of positive numbers into addition: [ 5 ] ln ( x ⋅ y ) = ln x + ln y ...
The complex logarithm is the complex number analogue of the logarithm function. No single valued function on the complex plane can satisfy the normal rules for logarithms. However, a multivalued function can be defined which satisfies most of the identities. It is usual to consider this as a function defined on a Riemann surface.
A log–log plot of y = x (blue), y = x 2 (green), and y = x 3 (red). Note the logarithmic scale markings on each of the axes, and that the log x and log y axes (where the logarithms are 0) are where x and y themselves are 1. Comparison of linear, concave, and convex functions when plotted using a linear scale (left) or a log scale (right).
In mathematics, the common logarithm (aka "standard logarithm") is the logarithm with base 10. [1] It is also known as the decadic logarithm , the decimal logarithm and the Briggsian logarithm . The name "Briggsian logarithm" is in honor of the British mathematician Henry Briggs who conceived of and developed the values for the "common logarithm".
The logarithm function remains a staple of mathematical analysis, but printed tables of logarithms gradually diminished in importance in the twentieth century as mechanical calculators and, later, electronic pocket calculators and computers took over computations that required high accuracy. [54]
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The binary logarithm function may be defined as the inverse function to the power of two function, which is a strictly increasing function over the positive real numbers and therefore has a unique inverse. [7] Alternatively, it may be defined as ln n/ln 2, where ln is the natural logarithm, defined in any of its standard ways.