We have come across logarithm many times in our calculations now; hence, showcasing its overall importance. However, the greater the importance, the better you must learn. Also, it's best that you avoid using calculators in some areas of log for faster calculation. A logarithm is basically the power to which a base of 10 must be raised for obtaining a number. Let's solve two examples manually. 1. Firstly, using log10 log [to the base 10]. log10 100 = 2 is same as 102 = 100. Now, 1 is the base, 2 is the power, and 100 is the number, which is your answer. 2. If we replace 10 with the base e, then it becomes a natural log. Thus, the example, by using natural logs, finds all numbers with 5 significant figures. ln 30 = 3.4012 is equivalent to e3.4012 = 30.
In general, when we are calculating the value of logs we will use a calculator. They can be computed by hand, but they are very time consuming. Logarithms consist of two main parts the argument and the base. The base is the subscript value to the log and the argument is the number that follows. You start calculating a log by dividing the argument by the base. You then divide that result over and over until reach one. The number of times that you needed to divide to reach this value is the value of the logarithm. These worksheets explain how to calculate the value of logarithmic expressions. Though the formulas have been provided, students should already be familiar with the material.