The history of logarithms is the story of a correspondence (in modern terms, a group isomorphism) between multiplication on the positive real numbers and addition on the real number line that was formalized in seventeenth century Europe and was widely used to simplify calculation until the advent of the digital computer.

The history of logarithms is a testament to human ingenuity and the quest for mathematical understanding. From Napier’s original tables to Euler’s contributions to calculus and modern applications in technology, logarithms have shaped the trajectory of mathematics and science.

Napier first published his work on l ogarithms in 1614 under the title Mirifici logarithmorum canonis descriptio, which translates literally as A Description of the Wonderful Table of Logarithms.

2024年3月27日 · Logarithms are mathematical functions that allow difficult operations like exponentiation, root extraction and multiplication to be transformed into simpler addition and subtraction problems. They provided an invaluable tool for scientists and mathematicians prior to electronic computers.

2024年12月21日 · History of logarithms. The invention of logarithms was foreshadowed by the comparison of arithmetic and geometric sequences. In a geometric sequence each term forms a constant ratio with its successor; for example, …1/1,000, 1/100, 1/10, 1, 10, 100, 1,000… has a common ratio of 10.

Logarithms have been a part of mathematics for several centuries, but the concept of a logarithm has changed notably over the years. The origins of logarithms date back to the year 1614, with John Napier2.

At least two scholars, the Scottish baron John Napier (1550-1617) and Swiss craftsman Joost Bürgi (1552-1632), produced independently systems that embodied the logarithmic relation and, within years of one another, produced tables for its use.