1. ## natural log

Hello, I am trying to understand natural log properly.

Can someone please give me an example of how it would be more beneficial to use a natural log rather than using common log within an equation.

If I could see precisely how it is more advantageous to use then it will help my understanding a lot.

Thanks for any help

2. ## Re: natural log

I an equation with e in it.

3. ## Re: natural log

I use and promote the natural log for a few reasons:
1. The calculus behind-the-scenes
2. If you see something like "log2^x", do you mean $log_2(x)$ or $log(2^x)$ ? So I use it to avoid confusion.
3. It's natural. Duh.

4. ## Re: natural log

Originally Posted by fran1942
Hello, I am trying to understand natural log properly.

Can someone please give me an example of how it would be more beneficial to use a natural log rather than using common log within an equation.

If I could see precisely how it is more advantageous to use then it will help my understanding a lot.

Thanks for any help
The first thing you need to know is that its importance is due to its ubiquity in calculus partialy due to its relationship to the exponential function and "e" and partialy on its own merits.

Other uses are in expressing complex numbers in polar form, the relationship between the circular and hyperbolic functions, ...

But in common algebra you can probably survive without it if only it was not in the syllabus.

Also see: "The Story of e", Eli Maor

CB.