logarithm
Logarithm (noun) means the power to which a fixed base number must be raised to produce a given number. Example: “The logarithm of 100 to base 10 is 2, because ten squared is 100.”
How to use logarithm
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishThe power you raise a base number to in order to get another number.
It is a technical mathematical term, though people often shorten it to log.
Logarithm and algorithm are made of similar letters but mean quite different things.
Trace the full origin ↓Fill the gap
Can you complete this real example?
The _____ of 100 to base 10 is 2, because ten squared is 100.
Etymology
The word comes from New Latin logarithmus, a term coined by the Scottish mathematician John Napier. He built it from the Ancient Greek words lógos, meaning ratio or proportion, and arithmós, meaning number.
