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However, in general settings, the logarithm tends to be a multi-valued function. For example, the complex logarithm is the multi-valued inverse of the complex exponential function. Similarly, the discrete logarithm is the multi-valued inverse of the exponential function in finite groups; it has uses in public-key cryptography.
Exponential functions with bases 2 and 1/2. In mathematics, the exponential function is the unique real function which maps zero to one and has a derivative equal to its value. . The exponential of a variable is denoted or , with the two notations used interchangeab
Exponential function: raises a fixed number to a variable power. Hyperbolic functions: formally similar to the trigonometric functions. Inverse hyperbolic functions: inverses of the hyperbolic functions, analogous to the inverse circular functions. Logarithms: the inverses of exponential functions; useful to solve equations involving exponentials.
The complex logarithm is the complex number analogue of the logarithm function. No single valued function on the complex plane can satisfy the normal rules for logarithms. However, a multivalued function can be defined which satisfies most of the identities.
The natural logarithm function, if considered as a real-valued function of a positive real variable, is the inverse function of the exponential function, leading to the identities: = + = Like all logarithms, the natural logarithm maps multiplication of positive numbers into addition: [ 5 ] ln ( x ⋅ y ) = ln x + ln y ...
Logarithmic growth is the inverse of exponential growth and is very slow. [2] A familiar example of logarithmic growth is a number, N, in positional notation, which grows as log b (N), where b is the base of the number system used, e.g. 10 for decimal arithmetic. [3] In more advanced mathematics, the partial sums of the harmonic series
Three-dimensional plot showing the values of the logarithmic mean. In mathematics, the logarithmic mean is a function of two non-negative numbers which is equal to their difference divided by the logarithm of their quotient. This calculation is applicable in engineering problems involving heat and mass transfer.
Many properties of the real logarithm also apply to the logarithmic derivative, even when the function does not take values in the positive reals. For example, since the logarithm of a product is the sum of the logarithms of the factors, we have () ′ = ( + ) ′ = () ′ + () ′.