The exponent to which a fixed base must be raised to produce a given number: since ten squared is one hundred, the logarithm base ten of one hundred is two. John Napier introduced logarithms in 1614 as a way to turn multiplication into addition, which made them the calculating tool of choice for astronomers and navigators for the next three centuries. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
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John Napier, Mathematicians Why this is disputed. Napier published the first account of logarithms in 1614. Jost Burgi developed an independent, differently-derived table of progressions around 1600 but did not publish until 1620, so historians differ on how the underlying priority should be weighed even though Napier's earlier publication is the one conventionally credited.
Source John Napier (Wikipedia)
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Source Logarithm (Wikipedia)
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Source Logarithm (Wikipedia)
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1. Logarithm (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationOpening paragraph
Using logarithm tables, tedious multi-digit multiplication steps can be replaced by table look-ups and simpler addition.
History section
The method of logarithms was publicly propounded by John Napier in 1614, in a book titled Mirifici Logarithmorum Canonis Descriptio.
In Branch: Analysis, Analytic properties section
In mathematical analysis, the logarithm base e is widespread because of analytical properties explained below.
Attributed To: John Napier, Lead
Logarithms were introduced by John Napier in 1614 as a means of simplifying calculations.
View the Source John Napier (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: John Napier, Mathematics sectionQuote, Associated With: John Napier, Mathematics section
Napier is best known as the discoverer of logarithms.
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