Editing Logarithmic scale (section)

{{Short description|Measurement scale based on orders of magnitude}}
[[File:Internet host count 1988-2012 log scale.png|thumb|upright=1.7|right|[[Semi-log plot]] of the Internet host count over time shown on a logarithmic scale]]
A '''logarithmic scale''' (or '''log scale''') is a method used to display numerical data that spans a broad range of values, especially when there are significant differences between the magnitudes of the numbers involved. 

Unlike a linear [[Scale (measurement)|scale]] where each unit of distance corresponds to the same increment, on a logarithmic scale each unit of length is a multiple of some base value raised to a power, and corresponds to the multiplication of the previous value in the scale by the base value. In common use, logarithmic scales are in base 10 (unless otherwise specified). 

A logarithmic scale is [[Nonlinear system|nonlinear]], and as such numbers with equal distance between them such as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 are not equally spaced. Equally spaced values on a logarithmic scale have exponents that increment uniformly. Examples of equally spaced values are 10, 100, 1000, 10000, and 100000 (i.e., 10<sup>1</sup>, 10<sup>2</sup>, 10<sup>3</sup>, 10<sup>4</sup>, 10<sup>5</sup>) and 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 (i.e., 2<sup>1</sup>, 2<sup>2</sup>, 2<sup>3</sup>, 2<sup>4</sup>, 2<sup>5</sup>). 

[[Exponential growth]] curves are often depicted on a logarithmic scale [[Plot (graphics)|graph]]. 
[[File:Logarithmic_scale.svg|thumb|upright=1.7|right|A logarithmic scale from 0.1 to 100]]
[[File:slide rule example3.svg|thumb|upright=1.7|right|The two logarithmic scales of a [[slide rule]]]]