How To Use Log Table
How To Use Log Table
How To Use Log Table
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IIT JEE 2013 SOLUTION
PAPER 1
How to use log table
Logarithms
How to determine logarithm of a given number 1.
If x is a positive real number then log x can be written as
log x = characteristic of x + mantissa of x.
Remember that the base is 10 and we are considering natural logarithms or logs only.
Characteristic of x is an integer that can be either positive or negative depending on
whether x > 1 or
0 < x <1.
Mantissa of x has to be read from the log tables.
i) How to determine the characteristic of a logx :
If x > 1, then count the digits on the left of the decimal point; if the number of digits is y,
then the characteristic is (y - 1).
If 0 < x < 1, then count the number of zeroes appearing in the right side of the decimal
point; if the number of zeros is z, then the characteristic is ( z + 1 ). This is
_____
also written as ( z + 1 ), read as (z + 1 ) bar.
ii) How to determine the mantissa of a logx :
As mentioned earlier, the mantissa has to be read from a standard log table. Log tables
consist of rows that go from 10,11, up to 99. The columns have values 0,1, 2, up to 9.
Beyond the 10 columns, there is another column which is known as the mean difference.
For determining the mantissa, a particular row has to be read off and the mean difference
has to be added from the table.
The following has to be remembered :
Mantissa usually consist of a four digit number, and it comes after the decimal
point.