INTRODUCTION TO LOGARITHM

Many students have a time with logarithms. They memorize the rules of logarithms without fully understanding them. Without an understanding of the basis, the student is doomed to blindly stumble through and sometimes will fail the course. So, we should try to understand more about the logarithms.

THE MEANING OF LOGARITHMS

Logarithms are initially developed to reduce large numbers into smaller numbers so that operations such as multiplication and division can be performed more efficiently. This method contributed to the advance of science, and especially of astronomy, by making some difficult calculations possible. Prior to the advent of calculator and computers, it was used constantly in surveying, navigation, and other branches of practical mathematics.

HISTORY OF LOGARITHMS
There were two mathematicians contributed more in responsibility for inventing logarithms, they were John Napier and Joost Burgi. (i) John Napier a Scotsman. Napers logarithms were published in 1614. Napers approach was algebraic. Naper defined logarithms as a ratio of two distances in a geometric form, as apposed to the current definition of logarithms as exponents. The method of natural logarithms was first propounded in 1614, in a book entitled Mirifici Logarithmorum Canonis Descriptio, by John Naper in Scotland four years after the publications of his memorable invention. Although there is evidence that logarithms were known in 8th century India, their invention as an aid to calculation is attributed to John Napier (1550 1617) in his Mirifici Logarithmorum Canonis Descriptio and Murifici Logarithmorum Canonis Constructio (published posthumously in 1619). In collaboration with Oxford Professor, Henry Briggs, he refined his logarithms by constructing tables for logarithms in base 10. Naper is also credited with creating one of the earliest calculating machine (Napier s Bones) and with the first systematic use of the decimal point. Not a bad mathematical pedigree for a man who never finished university and who considered his most important work to be his Plaine Discovery of the Whole Revelation of St. John (1593). He lived during an age of great innovation in the world of astronomy. At first, he called logarithms artificial numbers and antilogarithms natural numbers. Later, Napier formed the word logarithm, a portmanteau, to mean a number that indicates a ratio: oo (logos) meaning ratio, and o (arithmos) meaning number. Napier chose that because of the numbers difference of two logarithms determines the ratio of the numbers for which they stand, so that an arithmetic series of logarithms corresponds to a geometric series of numbers. The term antilogarithm was introduced in the late 17th century and, while never used

extensively in mathematics, persisted in collections of tables until they fell into disuse. Napier did not use a base as we now understand it, but his logarithms were, up to a scaling factor, effectively to base 1/e. For interpolation purposes and ease of calculation, it is useful to make the ratio r in the geometric series close to 1. Napier chose r=110^{7}=0.999999. Napiers original logarithms did not have log 1=0 but rather log 10^7=0. Thus if N is a number and L is its logarithm as calculated by Napier, N=10^7(1-10^{-7})^L. Since (1-10^{-7}) is approximately 1/e, L is approximately 10^7 log_{1/e}N/10^7. (ii) Joost Burgi(also spelled Buergi, Buerghi), a Swiss clockmaker who formally credited with the invention. To make the ratio r in the geometric series close to 1 because of interpolation purposes and ease of caldeveloped a system of logarithms independent of his contemporary, John Naculation, he had chosen r=1+10^{-4}=1.0001. Another astronomer, Reimarus Ursus Dithmarus pier. Bugi first published his work in 1620(six years after Napier), and Napier, suggests that Burgis calculation tool existed as early as 1588. From written records, it is surmised that he was born in Liechtenstein(Switzerland) to a family of Protest(Lutheran) commoners and received no formal education. He did not speak Latin, and there is no record of him attending any university same with Napier. History records he as the most noted clockmaker of his era. In Prague, he met astronomer and Imperial Mathematician, Johannes Kepler, to whom he introduced algebra. He performed calculations for Kepler using his logarithms, which took a geometric approach as opposed to Napiers algebraic one. Kepler have been responsible for persuading Burgi to publish his work on logarithms, as the manuscript is written mostly in Keplers hand. As a clockmaker and mathematician, Burgi also manufactured instruments used for astronomy and practical geometry, for example: proportional compass and a triangulation instrument for surveying.

THE REASON LED THEM TO INVENT LOGATITHMS

Napier and Joost Burgi were the mathematicians responsible for inventing logarithms. They actually had the same objective. The objective of both mathematicians above was to simplify mathematical calculations. Napier approach was algebraic and Burgis approach was geometric. Neither man had a concept of a logarithmic base. Logarithms are useful now in many fields from finance to astronomy.

MATHEMATICIANS ADAPTING LOGARITHMS INTO THE SYSTEM THAT RECOGNIZED TODAY

In 1543, Copernicus had published Napiers theory of the solar system, many astronomers were eagerly involved in calculating and re-calculating planetary positions based in the wake of Copernicuss ideas. Johannas Kepler (15711630) fill nearly 1000 large pages with dense arithmetical computations to obtain his famous laws of planetary motions. Napiers logarithms helped ease the burden. Not mathematicians simply put down their pens after Napier. After this, there were John Wallis and John Bernoulli. The possibility of defining logarithms as exponents was recognized by John Wallis in 1685 and by Johann Bernoulli in 1694.

OTHER HISTORY ABOUT LOGARITHM

In here, we want to share some information about common logarithm. What is common logarithm?? The common logarithm is the logarithm with base 10, which is also known as the decadic logarithm, named after its base. It is indicated by log10 (x), or sometimes Log(x) with capital L. On calculators, it is usually log, but mathematicians usually mean natural logarithm rather than common logarithm when they write log.

HISTORY OF COMMON LOGARITHM

Common logarithm is sometimes called Briggsian logarithms after Henry Briggs, a 17th century British mathematician. Because base 10 logarithms were most useful for computations, engineers generally wrote log(x) when they meant log10(x). Mathematicians, on the other hand, wrote log(x) when they mean loge(x) for the natural logarithm. Today, both notations are found. Since hand-held electronic calculators are designed by engineers rather than mathematicians, it became customary that they follow engineers notation. So ironically, that notation, according to which one writes ln(x) when the natural logarithm is intended, may have been further popularized by the very invention that made the use of common logarithms far less common, electronic calculators.

EXAMPLE OF COMMON LOGARITHM

Number (Antilog) 10,000 1,000 100 10 1 0 0.10 0.001 0.0001

Exponent 1x104 1x103 1x102 1x101 1x100 1x10-1 1x10-2 1x10-3 1x10-4

Logarithm 4 3 2 1 0 -1 -2 -3 -4

The original number in table above is called antilog. When a number greater than 1 is a positive log. Any number less than 1, but greater than 0, is a negative log. Logs are also required between the numbers 1 and 10. Since the log of 1 is 0 and the log of 0 is 1, the numbers 1 through 9 are decimals. This is shown by table below.

Number Logarithm 1 0.00 2 0.30 3 0.48 4 0.60 5 0.70 6 0.78 7 0.85 8 0.90 9 0.95 10 1.00 The previous discussion is provided to give you a general idea on how logarithms are derived. It is not necessary for you to memorize logarithms, or refer to the log tables. All scientific calculators have a log key that converts numbers to logarithmic form.

NUMERICAL VALUE

The numerical value for logarithm to the base 10 can be calculated with the following identity. log10(x) = ln(x) ln(10) or log10(x) = log2(x) log2(10)

USES OF COMMON LOGARITHM

The following are some examples of uses of common logarithm: (i) (ii) (iii) (iv) (v) Determining density Plotting characteristic curves Determining contrast Determining log H Reading the densitometer scale