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Logarithmic Functions

6 min read

Overview

A logarithm answers “what power produces this number?”: log_b(x) is the exponent y such that b^y = x (with b>0, b!=1, x>0). In computer science, logarithms explain why divide-and-conquer, tree heights, and binary encodings behave like O(log n). Because logs grow slowly, any algorithm with logarithmic factors scales well. Understanding bases, identities, floors/ceilings, and discrete interpretations (digits, bit length, loop counts) is key to accurate performance reasoning.

Note

In CS, the default base is often 2 (log2) due to binary representations; in math/analysis, e (natural log ln) is common. Bases differ by a constant factor via the change-of-base identity.

Motivation

Logarithms appear whenever work scales with the number of times you can halve (or reduce by a constant factor) before hitting a base case. Classic examples:

  • Binary search: each comparison halves the remaining range → about log2 n steps.

  • Tree height: balanced binary trees and heaps have height Theta(log2 n).

  • Exponentiation-by-squaring: reduces exponent size by half each step → O(log n) multiplications.

  • Bit length / digits: storing the number n requires floor(log2 n)+1 bits; decimal digits are floor(log10 n)+1.

The ubiquitous nature of log n terms makes logs a compact language for levels, digits, and exponents.

Definition and Formalism

For b>0, b!=1, define:

  • log_b(x) = y <=> b^y = x, for x>0.

  • Change of base: log_b(x) = log_k(x) / log_k(b) for any k>0, k!=1. Commonly, log2(x) = ln(x)/ln(2) and log10(x) = ln(x)/ln(10).

Algebraic identities (for x,y>0):

  • log_b(xy) = log_b(x) + log_b(y)

  • log_b(x/y) = log_b(x) - log_b(y)

  • log_b(x^a) = a*log_b(x)

  • b^{log_b(x)} = x, log_b(b^a) = a

Domain & monotonicity.

  • Domain: x>0 only.

  • If b>1, then log_b is increasing; if 0<b<1, it is decreasing (rare in CS).

Growth: For large x, log x grows slower than any polynomial root: log x = o(x^epsilon) for all epsilon>0. Also, log log x grows slower than log x.

Example or Illustration

  • log2(1) = 0 because 2^0 = 1.

  • log2(1024) = 10 because 2^10 = 1024.

  • log10(1000) = 3; thus numbers 100–999 have 3 digits, consistent with floor(log10(n))+1.

Example

Binary search steps. With n=1000, ceil(log2 1000) is approximately 10. After 10 halving steps a single candidate remains. The levels of decisions correspond to the bits needed to encode an index.

Properties and Relationships

  • Base invariance up to constants. In asymptotics, log_b n = (1/ln b)*ln n, so changing the base multiplies by a constant. Thus O(log2 n) = O(log10 n) = O(ln n) in Big-O terms.

  • Digits and bits. For n>=1:

    • Bit length: bits(n) = floor(log2 n) + 1.

    • Decimal digits: digits(n) = floor(log10 n) + 1.

  • Tree heights. A complete binary tree with n nodes has height floor(log2 n) (0-based). A complete k-ary tree has height Theta(log_k n) = Theta((log n)/(log k)).

  • Master Theorem context. Recurrences like T(n) = a*T(n/b) + f(n) yield terms with log_b n in the exponent of n or in multiplicative factors; see Recurrences — Master Theorem.

  • Iterated logs. log^{(k)} n denotes applying log k times; log^* n (log-star) counts how many times to log until ⇐ 1 (extremely small, ⇐ 5 for any realistic n).

Implementation or Practical Context

Counting loop iterations via logs

A pattern where n shrinks by a constant factor per iteration:

// Count iterations until range size becomes 0 or 1
function HALVING_STEPS(n):
    count = 0
    while n > 1:
        n = floor(n / 2)
        count = count + 1
    return count          // equals floor(log2(original_n))
  • After the loop, count = floor(log2 n0). If you stop when n == 0, the count is floor(log2 n0) + 1 for n0 >= 1.

Integer floor of log2 without floating point

function FLOOR_LOG2(n):              // n >= 1
    k = 0
    while (1 << (k+1)) <= n:
        k = k + 1
    return k

With bit operations, many languages provide a “count leading zeros” (CLZ) primitive: floor_log2(n) = word_bits - 1 - clz(n) for n>0.

Tip

Use bit length to size arrays or heaps: a binary heap storing n items has height floor(log2 n), so operations are bounded by that many sift steps; see Heaps — Overview.

Change-of-base in code (stable numerics)

Avoid subtracting nearly equal floats:

function LOG_BASE(x, b):
    return ln(x) / ln(b)        // relies on high-quality ln

If x and b vary widely, prefer library functions log2(x)/log10(x) for accuracy, then change base using constants 1/ln(2) or 1/ln(10).

Digits and bit length

function DECIMAL_DIGITS(n):     // n >= 1
    d = 0
    while n > 0:
        n = floor(n / 10)
        d = d + 1
    return d
// Equivalent to floor(log10(n)) + 1 but avoids FP issues.

Common CS appearances

  • Binary search: comparisons approximately ceil(log2 n) (see Binary Search).

  • Balanced trees / heaps: height Theta(log n); operations take O(log n).

  • Exponentiation by squaring: O(log e) multiplications for exponent e.

  • Index structures: B-trees achieve O(log_b n) with large base b (branching factor), reducing I/O.

Common Misunderstandings

Warning

Base confusion in asymptotics. O(log n) hides constant factors. log2 n and log10 n differ by ln(10) which is approximately 2.3026—constant, not a different class.

Warning

Domain errors. log_b(0) is undefined and log_b(x) for x<0 is not real (without complex numbers). Guard inputs in code.

Warning

Off-by-one at boundaries. For levels or digits, remember floors:

  • Largest index at depth h in a complete binary tree is about 2^{h+1}-1 total nodes → h = floor(log2 n).

  • Decimal digits use floor(log10 n)+1 only for n>=1; handle n=0 as a special case (digits = 1).

Warning

Confusing log n vs n log n. n log n grows much faster than log n. Sorting lower bound is Omega(n log n)—not logarithmic.

Warning

Iterated log vs power of log. log log n (iterated) is much smaller than (log n)^2 (power). Do not conflate notation.

Broader Implications

Because log transforms multiplication into addition, it underpins:

  • Complexity transforms: analyzing multiplicative shrinkage as additive depth (#levels = log_b n).

  • Information theory: log2 measures information in bits; entropy sums p_i log p_i.

  • Scale compression: Logging axes turns exponential curves into lines—useful for profiling with exponentially growing inputs.

  • Numeric robustness: Logs stabilize products of many factors (sum of logs) and prevent under/overflow in probabilistic computations.

Tip

For large exponents/products, compute sum(log(x_i)) and exponentiate at the end to avoid overflow; in base 2 this directly yields bits of magnitude.

Summary

Logarithms are the inverse of exponentiation and quantify levels, digits, and bit lengths. They capture the cost of processes that repeatedly shrink by a constant factor: binary search steps, tree heights, and divide-and-conquer recursion depths. Bases differ by a constant factor (log_b n = ln n / ln b), so asymptotically they’re interchangeable. In implementation, prefer integer methods for floors/bit lengths, use built-in log2/log10 for accuracy, and watch boundary cases (n=0, x<=0). Mastery of logs enables clear reasoning about O(log n), O(n log n), and deeper results like the Master Theorem.

See also

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