Logarithmic scale

A logarithmic scale (or log scale) is a method used to display numerical data that spans a broad range of values, especially when there are significant differences between the magnitudes of the numbers involved.

Unlike a linear

where each unit of distance corresponds to the same increment, on a logarithmic scale each unit of length is a multiple of some base value raised to a power, and corresponds to the multiplication of the previous value in the scale by the base value.

A logarithmic scale is nonlinear, and as such numbers with equal distance between them such as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 are not equally spaced. Equally spaced values on a logarithmic scale have exponents that increment uniformly. Examples of equally spaced values are 10, 100, 1000, 10000, and 100000 (i.e., 10^1, 10^2, 10^3, 10^4, 10^5) and 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 (i.e., 2^1, 2^2, 2^3, 2^4, 2^5).

Exponential growth curves are often depicted on a logarithmic scale to prevent them from expanding too rapidly and becoming too large to fit within a small graph.

Common uses

The markings on slide rules are arranged in a log scale for multiplying or dividing numbers by adding or subtracting lengths on the scales.

The following are examples of commonly used logarithmic scales, where a larger quantity results in a higher value:

• movement in the Earth

• Sound level, with units decibel
• Neper for amplitude, field and power quantities
• minor second, major second, and octave for the relative pitch of notes in music
• Logit for odds in statistics
• Palermo Technical Impact Hazard Scale
• Logarithmic timeline
• Counting
  photographic exposure
• The rule of nines used for rating low
  probabilities
• Entropy in thermodynamics
• Information in information theory
• Particle size distribution curves of soil

The following are examples of commonly used logarithmic scales, where a larger quantity results in a lower (or negative) value:

• pH for acidity
• Stellar magnitude scale for brightness of stars
• particle size in geology
• Absorbance of light by transparent samples

Some of our

Graphic representation

lin–log, log–lin, and log–log

. Plotted graphs are: y = 10 ^x (red), y = x (green), y = log_e(x) (blue).

The top left graph is linear in the X and Y axes, and the Y-axis ranges from 0 to 10. A base-10 log scale is used for the Y axis of the bottom left graph, and the Y axis ranges from 0.1 to 1,000.

The top right graph uses a log-10 scale for just the X axis, and the bottom right graph uses a log-10 scale for both the X axis and the Y axis.

Presentation of data on a logarithmic scale can be helpful when the data:

• covers a large range of values, since the use of the logarithms of the values rather than the actual values reduces a wide range to a more manageable size;
• may contain
  exponential laws or power laws
  , since these will show up as straight lines.

A slide rule has logarithmic scales, and nomograms often employ logarithmic scales. The geometric mean of two numbers is midway between the numbers. Before the advent of computer graphics, logarithmic graph paper was a commonly used scientific tool.

Log–log plots

If both the vertical and horizontal axes of a plot are scaled logarithmically, the plot is referred to as a log–log plot.

Semi-logarithmic plots

If only the

plot.

Extensions

A modified log transform can be defined for negative input (y<0) to avoid the singularity for zero input (y=0), and so produce symmetric log plots:^[2][3]

${\displaystyle Y=\operatorname {sgn}(y)\cdot \log _{10}(1+|y/C|)}$

for a constant C=1/ln(10).

Logarithmic units

A logarithmic unit is a

function applied to the ratio of the quantity and a reference quantity of the same type. The choice of unit generally indicates the type of quantity and the base of the logarithm.

Examples

Examples of logarithmic units include

Richter magnitude scale

point.

In addition, several industrial measures are logarithmic, such as standard values for resistors, the American wire gauge, the Birmingham gauge used for wire and needles, and so on.

Units of information

• bit, byte
• hartley
• nat
• shannon

Units of level or level difference

• bel, decibel
• neper

Units of frequency level

• decade, decidecade, savart
• tone, semitone, cent

Table of examples

Unit	Base of logarithm	Underlying quantity	Interpretation
bit	2	number of possible messages	quantity of information
byte	28 = 256	number of possible messages	quantity of information
decibel	10(1/10) ≈ 1.259	any power quantity (sound power, for example)	sound power level (for example)
decibel	10(1/20) ≈ 1.122	any root-power quantity (sound pressure, for example)	sound pressure level (for example)
semitone	2(1/12) ≈ 1.059	frequency of sound	pitch interval

The two definitions of a decibel are equivalent, because a ratio of power quantities is equal to the square of the corresponding ratio of root-power quantities.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• Alexander Graham Bell
• Bode plot
• Geometric mean (arithmetic mean in logscale)
• John Napier
• Level (logarithmic quantity)
• Log–log plot
• Logarithm
• Logarithmic mean
• Log semiring
• Preferred number
• Semi-log plot

Scale

• Order of magnitude

Applications

• Entropy
• Entropy (information theory)
• pH
• Richter magnitude scale

References

Further reading

• Dehaene, Stanislas; Izard, Véronique;
  PMID 18511690
  .
• Tuffentsammer, Karl; Schumacher, P. (1953). "Normzahlen – die einstellige Logarithmentafel des Ingenieurs" [Preferred numbers - the engineer's single-digit logarithm table]. Werkstattechnik und Maschinenbau (in German). 43 (4): 156.
• Tuffentsammer, Karl (1956). "Das Dezilog, eine Brücke zwischen Logarithmen, Dezibel, Neper und Normzahlen" [The decilog, a bridge between logarithms, decibel, neper and preferred numbers]. VDI-Zeitschrift (in German). 98: 267–274.
• Ries, Clemens (1962). Normung nach Normzahlen [Standardization by preferred numbers] (in German) (1 ed.). Berlin, Germany:
  ISBN 978-3-42801242-8
  . (135 pages)
• Paulin, Eugen (2007-09-01). Logarithmen, Normzahlen, Dezibel, Neper, Phon - natürlich verwandt! [Logarithms, preferred numbers, decibel, neper, phon - naturally related!] (PDF) (in German). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-12-18. Retrieved 2016-12-18.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Logarithmic scale.

• "GNU Emacs Calc Manual: Logarithmic Units". Gnu.org. Retrieved 2016-11-23.
• Non-Newtonian calculus website