ln vs. log [RSABE / ABEL]

posted by Helmut Homepage – Vienna, Austria, 2010-11-09 23:07 (5344 d 15:08 ago) – Posting: # 6130
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[image]Lá maith, Angus!

❝ At highschool in the UK [...] the term "log" pertained to a logarithm to the base 10.

❝ Now for a log to the base e (otherwise known as a natural logarithm or Napierian logarithm) we were taught to use the term "ln". They were first used by John Napier, who was a Scottish mathematician (late 17th century).


Yeah! I guess you’re still a patriot – even after your move to the former colonies!

BTW, in my posts I’ve used ln rather than log in order to avoid any ambiguities (see also the label of the y-axis in my second plot above). I guess Detlew used log assuming to be evident from the following exp which kind is meant. In SAS and R/S+ log() calls the natural logarithm – so we might be excused.

Since I was trained as a chemical engineer, I’m used to switch my brain. In mechanical engineering and (in-)organic technology we used solely log10, because it’s easy to guess a value from the part before the decimal point: a log10 of 3.69897 means something between 103 and 104. Only an idiot savant can tell 103.69897=5000… In physical chemistry we used mainly ln; like in PK solving systems of differential equations is much easier in the ‘world’ of e. Well known exceptions in chemistry, where the decadic log is used are pK-values. Neutral pH means –log10([H3O+])=7 or 10-7 molar H3O+.

Dif-tor heh smusma 🖖🏼 Довге життя Україна! [image]
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