Logarithms

Most GCSE Maths students are familiar with indices/powers or exponents.  But at A-level, logarithm topic often causes problems! In fact, logarithm is just another name for an index or a power to which a number is raised.

 

In this animation, the question we want to ask is:

“What is the logarithm of the number 64 to the base 2?”

This question can be rephrased as:

“To what power/index must 2 be raised to give 64?”

The answer is “6“, since, 2^6 is simply 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 x 2 = 64.

So, the logarithm of 64 to base 2 is equal to 6. This can be written mathematically as:

log2 (64) = 6

Now, since, logarithms are indices/powers/exponents and these can have positive, negatives or even zero values, logarithm of a number can also be positive, negative or even zero. Furthermore, just as for indices, there are laws of logarithms which can help with calculations in science and maths.

To learn more about logarithms or any other Maths topic, book your tuition now, or call us on 079 5655 8523.