If you are new to logarithms and want to know exactly what they are, why were they introduced in the first place and what is their main use, then you are in the right place.
In this article, I will thoroughly discuss about logarithms and their beneficial uses cases in mathematics as well as in other areas.
Let’s begin.
What is a logarithm in simple terms?
When you hear words like Logarithms and Data structures, your subconscious mind simply makes you believe that they are very hard to understand and only meant to be understood by geniuses.
But the reality is way different and positive.
While as complicated as it may sound, algorithms, in simple terms are used majorly in mathematics to simplify complex mathematical calculations. Logarithms can also be said to be some pre-defined set of rules to make calculations easier.
With the help of Logarithms, you can convert one class or an object to another very easily and quickly.
You can, for example, covert products into sums and quotients into subtractions without losing your mind all thanks to logarithms.
By now, you might be a little familiar with the word Logarithms. But what about Logarithmation?
Just like the basic and commonly used operators such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division, we refer to Logarithmation as an operator for the logarithms.
If you find it difficult and confuse one with another, simply keep in mind that Logarithm is a company and the Logarithmation is the brand name of that company.
As subtraction and division are there in opposite directions to the addition and multiplication, exponentiation is inversely equivalent to Logarithmation.
If we look upon this in terms of values, then in order to get a value of the number A (exponent), another fixed number B (base) should be raised.
What is logarithm used for?
Not just in theory, logarithms have a variety of useful use-cases in real life too. Some of them include measuring the sound, using the Richter scale to measure the intensity and magnitudes of Earthquakes, measuring how bright the stars are, to measure the acid and alkaline level of a substance using Ph.
These are just some of the examples where logarithm is useful. There are countless other projects where logarithms play a vital role in order to achieve accurate data.
In theory, the logarithm is mainly used to calculate the number of times a base is multiplied by itself to transform it into another number.
If we talk about the careers where the logarithms are most used, here are some of them:
- Civil Engineer.
- Chemist.
- Agricultural Scientist.
- Etc.
By this, we can see that the use of logarithms applies from a large organization to an independent intellectual. Unlike other curves or square roots, logarithms are tending to be more accurate and easier to work with.
This is the main reason why most mathematicians find it easy and pleasing to experiment with logarithms.
Are logarithms used in business?
You may have seen, until now many cases where logarithms are used in varied sectors. But do they also work in a business?
The simple answer is yes. Besides Economics and Finance, logarithms are used in almost all sectors including business.
Some business calculations are easy to perform through logarithms than through the arithmetic method which makes it flexible and open among different areas.
The use of logarithms in business, however, depends on the type of business. Let’s say for example that you have an online business related to finance and you need to create a calculator that auto-populates the data once the user input some value.
In this case, as there is an involvement of a complex mathematical calculation, logarithms can be a part of this online business tool.
Similarly, you can’t use logarithms to Tally your business’s balance sheet and profit and loss statement.
As simple as that.
Along with this, another great use of logarithmic functions can be seen in finance specifically while calculating the compound interest.
Although the history of logarithm dates back to the old 1620, the application for the same is increasing exponentially over time. John Napier invented the logarithmic functions and the world follows his tactics and rules to date.
And if you are interested in logarithms, you may be concerned to know that although the use of logarithms was invented and popularised by John, the initial difficulties in using the logs were made easier by Kepler with the vibrant clarification of how the logarithms worked.
Because initially, it was too hard for people (including bright minds) to understand even the basic concepts of logarithms due to its sophisticated documentation.
How do logarithms make our life easier?
Believe it or not, logarithms do make our life easier and help us sleep peacefully while they do all the frightening work for us.
After the earthquake, they tell you exactly how much magnitude it was.
How is this helpful?
Let’s say, a specific region is a victim of frequent intense earthquakes. In this case, if you know as per the previous magnitude data, the people living in this region would be much cautious and build their houses accordingly (earthquake-proof).
This was just one example, you can find many such cases where logarithms are not seen but make a huge difference in our lives. Data science is another field where data scientists rely on logs heavily.
This was just a crux about logarithms and how they are useful in the real world.
If you want to become a data scientist or a mathematician who is interested in logarithms, then you may want to dig deep into the more advanced topics such as Log odds, logistic regression, Product rule, Quotient rule, Power rule, and much more to get a solid perspective about how logarithms and things around it works.
I am no mathematician, data scientist, or agricultural manager by profession but I can assure you that you will have to add logarithms into your daily life if you want to create a positive impact in the field of mathematics.
