Calculating logarithms by hand

Introduction:
This paper is my comments on how to calculate logarithms by hand with a minimum
of fuss. I am aware of Eulers method and the Taylor series.

Step one: Choosing a base

The base can make the logarithms easy or hard, depending on what you choose. If
you are working with numbers that are clearly powers of two, a base 2 logarithm is
a good start. For example, the numbers 128 and 1024 are 2^7 and 2^10
respectively. Their base 2 logarithms are rational integers 7 and 10. As another
example, the numbers 25 and 625 are powers of 5 (5^2 and 5^4). Using base 5
would be the best choice.
Once a base is chosen, you may need the answer in another base. Two popular
choices are base e and base 10. There is a change of base formula, but it helps if
you remember that Log A with base B is the inverse of Log B with base A.
Log B base A = 1/(Log A base B)
For example, Log 10 base 2 is 3.32. I can divide any logarithm of base 2 by 3.32 for
conversion to base 10.

Step two: Factoring the logarithm

Suppose that we want the logarithm of 10 base 2. The nearest power of 2 is 2^3, or
8.
Ten divided by 8 is 1.25.
10 = (2^3)(10/2^3) = (8)(10/8) = (8)(1.25)
The motivation for doing this step is this identity:
Log (AB) = Log A + Log B
The logarithm of a neat power like 2^3 base 2 will be an easy integer. By factoring
it out, you are left with that number plus a smaller logarithm. For example, using
the Logarithm of 10 base 2, we are left with 3 + Log (1.25) in base 2. At this point,
we have approximated the first digit of the logarithm with hardly any math at all.
We are left with Log 1.25 base 2.

Step three: Make a table of powers of the remaining logarithms

number.

Take the remainder (1.25 in my example), and make a small table of its powers, like
this:
1.25^2 = 1.5625
1.25^3 = 1.95315
1.25^4 = ~2.44

Stop whenever the result exceeds the base.

The reason that I do this step is to benefit from this Logarithmic identity:
Log A = (1/B) Log A^B
I do this step because it allows me to use this identity from Step 2:
Log (AB) = Log A + Log B
For example, the Log 1.25 base 2 is equal to (1/4)Log 2.44 base 2.
Log 1.25 = (1/4) Log 2.44
I can factor 2.44 into (2) and (2.44/2), or 1.22.
Log 1.25 base 2 = (1/4)(Log 2 base 2 + Log 1.22 base 2)
Log 1.25 base 2 = 1/4 + (1/4)Log 1.22 base 2.

Step four: Add the new fraction to the answer

Remember in step 2 that the answer was 3 + Log (1.25) in base 2?
Now we have 3 + 1/4 + (1/4)Log 1.22 base 2, or ~3.25 (plus Log 1.22).
We still do not know Log 1.22 base 2, but we can repeat step 3 and 4 indefinitely.
This process very quickly arrives at a decent approximation of Log 10 base 2.
Note: If you truncate the power tables for ease of calculation, you give up some
accuracy in the result. However, it can speed up the calculations quite a bit.
From my example, 1.95315 times 1.25 = 2.4414375. It is much faster and easier to
use ~1.95 times 1.25, if also much less accurate.

Background:
This method was my attempt to make use of an abacus easier. In the process, I
learned quite a bit about logarithms. The abacus that I use is called a Soroban.
This document is explicitly public domain.

Saturday, March 7, 2015 / Jim Hall / sunlit.waves@gmail.com