History of Logarithms

A logarithm is the number that is increased to the power of another number. It was difficult for scientists and mathematicians to calculate extraordinarily big numbers before the invention of calculators and various sorts of complicated computers. Logarithms could aid them in this endeavour. Several instances are provided below.

The expression for four to the fifth power is: 45 = 1024.

It can alternatively be written as 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 x 4 = 1024.

Another way to put it is that 4 to the power of 5 is equal to 4 multiplied by 5.

A precise definition of logarithms

A logarithm is a power or exponent for a certain number that is raised to generate another specific number, according to a defined definition. In mathematics, logarithms are most succinctly described as a shortcut. Multiplication, for example, is essentially a shortcut for addition, while exponents are a shortcut for multiplication. Exponents are represented by logarithms.

There are some patterns in logarithms that are relatively simple to comprehend. The logarithm of 100 to base 10 is 2, for example. The base 10 logarithm of 1000 is 3. It’s also crucial to comprehend natural logarithms, which explain logarithms in terms of both time and growth. Logarithms were used for hundreds of years until the late 19^th century when mechanical devices were able to calculate greater numbers, and then computers took over in the 20th century.

What is the Function of Logarithms?

Logarithms function by giving a technique for doing more complex mathematical operations like multiplication, division, and root calculation using only addition and subtraction. All numbers can be stated in exponential form, which means that 8 can be written as 2, 25, and so on.

The fact that multiplication and division are simplified to basic addition and subtraction is what makes logarithms so useful. Multiplication becomes exponent addition when very large values are expressed as a logarithm. Logarithms simplify and speed up calculations. They can drastically reduce the time it takes to multiply huge numbers.

Scientists can determine the product of two numbers, x and y, by checking up each number’s own logarithm, adding them together, and then consulting a table to find the exact value with that calculated logarithm. This is known as the antilogarithm. Logarithmic laws or guidelines are also used to guide those who employ logarithms. Different logarithm laws or rules will be included in different tables.

Who invented the logarithm?

At around 1800 B.C., the concept of logarithms was known in ancient Babylonia. Tables containing sequential powers of whole numbers were discovered on clay tablets. However, John Napier, a Scotsman, is credited with discovering how logarithms function. Napier began working on trigonometric tables in 1594 and spent the next twenty years perfecting them. In 1614, he published his most famous mathematical work, Mirifici Logarithmorum Canonis Descriptio (Description of the Marvelous Canon of Logarithms), which addresses logarithms.

Henry Briggs (1561-1631), a Professor of Geometry at Gresham College, London, got a copy of Napier’s Descriptio around the end of 1614 and wrote in March of the following year: Napier, Lord of Markinston, hath set my mind and hands at work with his new and admirable logarithms. If God wills, I hope to visit him this summer; for I have never read a book that has pleased and amazed me more.

After Napier’s death in 1617, Henry Briggs published a table of logarithms up to 14 decimal places in 1624. These were numerals ranging from 1 to 20,000 as well as figures ranging from 90,000 to 100,000. A table was produced by Adriaan Vlacq, a Dutch publisher, to fill in the missing 70,000 values.

What Applications Do Logarithms Have?

Logarithms have several applications and examples. Finding a solution to exponentiation difficulties is one of the most common uses. Individuals can use Henry Briggs’ table of logarithms, which he created in 1617, to complete the steps in solving logarithmic mathematics issues. This table was made shortly after Napier’s conception, however it had a base of ten. The basic logarithms of all integers from 1 to 1000 were included in Briggs’ first table.

Conclusion

A logarithm is a number that is increased to the power of another number. It was difficult for scientists and mathematicians to calculate extraordinarily big numbers before the invention of calculators and various sorts of complicated computers. Logarithms could aid them in this endeavour. 

Logarithms have several applications and examples. Finding a solution to exponentiation difficulties is one of the most common uses. Individuals can use Henry Briggs’ table of logarithms, which he created in 1617, to complete the steps in solving logarithmic mathematics issues. This table was made shortly after Napier’s conception, however it had a base of ten.