Bifalgorithm post · Computer science one · Computing a Logarithm
How can the logarithm of a number be computed in an arbitrary base?
How can the logarithm of a number be computed in an arbitrary base? (Computer science one · Computing a Logarithm) — "16.3. Examples 16.3.1. Computing a Logari…
Ideas in this flowchart
- Computing a logarithm in an arbitrary base
- The logarithm of x is the exponent to which a base must be raised to obtain x.
- The natural logarithm ln(x) uses the base e = 2.71828....
- Logarithms can use any base b > 1.
- Examples of arbitrary bases include log₂(x) and logπ(x).
- The program prompts the user for a number x and a base b.
- The change-of-base formula is log_b(x) = log_a(x) / log_a(b).
- Computing one base makes it possible to compute any base b.
- The standard library provides log() to compute the natural logarithm.
- If a solution already exists for a similar problem, use it.
- The natural logarithm solution is adapted to arbitrary bases using the change-of-base formula.