Table of Contents
How was the logarithm table made?
He started by taking 54 successive square roots of 10, working to 30 decimal places, until he found the number whose base-10 logarithm is 1/254. Together with all the intermediate results this enabled him to raise 10 to various other fractional powers and create a logarithm table.
How did people calculate logarithms?
They were calculated using a variety of numerical algorithms that were available at the time. In 1617 and later in 1624, mathematician Henry Briggs published his own log tables, in which he famously used Finite-difference methods to calculate the logarithms.
How was the natural logarithm discovered?
The concept of the natural logarithm was worked out by Gregoire de Saint-Vincent and Alphonse Antonio de Sarasa before 1649. Their work involved quadrature of the hyperbola with equation xy = 1, by determination of the area of hyperbolic sectors.
Who were the mathematicians responsible for adapting logarithms?
The mathematicians responsible for adapting logarithms into the system that we recognize today are John Wallis in 1685 and by Johann Bernoulli in 1694. Henry Biggs actually came up with the common logarithm in 1624 but it was used without being understood.
How did Napier calculate logarithms?
To each number there was to be associated another, which Napier called at first an ‘artificial number’ and later a ‘logarithm’ (a term which he coined from Greek words meaning something like ‘ratio-number’), with the property that from the sum of two such logarithms the result of multiplying the two original numbers …
Was the first who published his table of logarithms and revolutionized the calculation process?
The Napierian logarithms were published first in 1614. Henry Briggs introduced common (base 10) logarithms, which were easier to use. Tables of logarithms were published in many forms over four centuries.
How do you find the value of log10?
Comparing log1010 with the definition, we have the base, a=10 and 10x=b, Therefore, the value of log 10 is as follows, We know that logaa=1, Hence, the value of log 10 base 10 =1, this is because the value of e1=1.
When did John Napier developed logarithm?
1614
The Scottish mathematician John Napier published his discovery of logarithms in 1614. His purpose was to assist in the multiplication of quantities that were then called sines.
What is the history of logarithms?
Logarithms, and log table, were first introduced by mathematician John Napier in 1614 (exactly 400 years ago).
When was the first log table published?
In 1617 and later in 1624, mathematician Henry Briggs published his own log tables, in which he famously used Finite-difference methods to calculate the logarithms.
What is the base of logarithms?
Logarithms discovered by Napier in 1614 were based on sine tables with 0.9999999 just below sine 90 degrees as the base which is raised to successive powers. Initially the results are nearly equal to the shortfall from 1.0000000.
Why do we use logarithms in log tables?
It explains the history of log tables better than I can. But if you just want your answer directly: Logarithms are used in order to make massive numbers more manageable. They rely on the fact that exponential functions grow very very very fast. So: