• Ragdoll X@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    I was a bit disappointed to learn that math-related Python packages don’t seem to have an ln function. They all use log for the natural log and also have a log10.

    • Afrazzle@sh.itjust.works
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      1 year ago

      Base e is considered the natural logarithm and is what you’ll get if you call log in most programming languages targeted at math.

      • Redex@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        Why is that, off the top of my head I don’t remember seeing base e logarithms too often, why are they so important?

        • LaLiLuLuCo@lemmy.ca
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          1 year ago

          They get used all over especially in differential equations.

          Log10 basically only comes up in statistics for doing a log plot in base 10.

          Basically high school math won’t use the natural log much, but once you hit university higher level math it becomes apparent it’s the one everyone actually uses regularly.

    • janAkali@lemmy.one
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      1 year ago

      You know what’s even more dissapointing? bc - arbitrary precision calculator for linux shell uses ‘l’ for natural log, just a single letter.
      And there’s no other log function, so when you need logx(y) you write: ''l(y)/l(x)".

    • Seeker of Carcosa
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      1 year ago

      That’s because mathematicians use log for the natural logarithm. Log base 10 would be log_10