Concepts

Logarithm

Also Known As Log

Citation Formats

General Reference

Mathematics Atlas. "Logarithm." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://mathematics.interactiveatlas.org/concepts/logarithm.

APA Style

Mathematics Atlas. (n.d.). Logarithm. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://mathematics.interactiveatlas.org/concepts/logarithm

BibTeX

@misc{mathematicsatlas-logarithm,
  author = {Mathematics Atlas},
  title = {Logarithm},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://mathematics.interactiveatlas.org/concepts/logarithm},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

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.

Facts

Origin Year

1614 1

Cross-Tradition Connections

Associated With

e (Euler's Number)

John Napier

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)