# Browsing category logarithms

## The Secrets of the Ninja Mathematician: An Apology To Base 10 Logarithms

You might think 'when would I ever write to an abstract concept like logarithms', but you'd be surprised. I had occasion to write this letter a few weeks ago: Dear Base 10 Logarithms, I'm very sorry that I bullied you. I recall saying things like 'grown-ups always use natural logs',

## The insidious maths of payday loans (with added logarithms)

Compared to regular small print, it's pretty big, but compared to the four-panel, faux-war-era comic story (disaster strikes, protagonist calls Rent-A-Loan*, cash magically appears and they all live happily ever after), you could easily overlook it. You might even look at the bottom of the poster and think "that can't

## How to do calculus with $a^x$

Every time you're asked to differentiate $a^x$ and you say $xa^{x-1}$, a kitten dies. A kitten that had been raised lovingly by an orphan, her only friend in the whole wide word - DEAD, just because you couldn't be bothered to learn how to do calculus properly. I hope the

## Earthquake maths: A Whole Log Of Shaking

(Photo courtesy of UN Development Program.) We've had a lot of noticeable earthquakes around the world in the last year or so - Haiti, Chile, New Zealand. Probably no more than usual, except that we notice them more - but that's a topic for another day. Instead, we're going to