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MATHSKIT

Logarithmic scales

Logarithmic scales are used to plot quantities that cover a large range of values. David Swinscoe explains how to plot and read logarithmic scales

In physics we often need to deal with quantities that are both very large and very small. If you look at the wavelengths for radio communications listed in Table 1 you can see that they vary over a wide range.

We cannot sensibly draw a graph with such a wide range of values using a linear scale. If we plot a simple graph of the wavelengths of some of these channels, the bars for the shorter wavelengths are too small to see because each division represents 20 m (Figure 1). But if we change the y-axis to a logarithmic scale, on which the values multiply by 10 for each division (Figure 2), then we can see that the wavelength for a remote car locking is 100 times the frequency used for a police speed radar.

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Previous

The Nobel prize 100 years on Atomic structure

Next

Measuring the viscosity of a liquid

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