What follows is a list of
logarithmic identities that are useful when dealing with logarithms. All of these are valid for all
positive real numbers a, b and c except that the base of a logarithm may never be 1.
Change of base formula
- logab = (logcb)/(logca)
Multiplication, division and exponentiation
- logc(ab) = logca + logcb
- logc(a/b) = logca - logcb
- logc(ar) = r * logc(a) for all real numbers r
Note: these three identities lead to the use of logarithm tables slide rules; knowing the logarithm of two numbers allows you to multiply and divide them quickly, as well as compute powers and roots.
Logarithms and exponential functions are inverses
- aloga(b) = b
- loga (ar) = r for all real numbers r
Special values
- loga(1) = 0
- loga(a) = 1
- limx->0 loga(x) = -∞ if a > 1
- limx->0 loga(x) = ∞ if a < 1
- limx->∞ loga(x) = ∞ if a > 1
- limx->∞ loga(x) = -∞ if a < 1
- limx->0 loga(x) * xb = 0
- limx->∞ loga(x) / xb = 0
- d/dx loga(x) = 1 / (x ln(a))