tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post1997870703861596871..comments2024-03-18T17:27:11.613-05:00Comments on Computational Complexity: Four Centuries of LogarithmsLance Fortnowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06752030912874378610noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post-70367433404467955662014-07-03T19:02:27.579-05:002014-07-03T19:02:27.579-05:00Come now, Lance. Eurocentrism is a disease that in...Come now, Lance. Eurocentrism is a disease that inflicts most of western historical writing - a hangover from colonialism. Do we really have to be ignorant here in this otherwise enlightened blog? <br /><br />Much of pre-modern mathematics and computing has roots in the much older cultures (read: 5000 years old) of China, Iraq, India, and Egypt, not in Europe. Logarithms is no exception. Even logarithms with different bases were studied by the Indian mathematician Virasena (8th Century AD) including properties of base 2 (arda-ksheddam), base 3 (trika-ksheddam) and base 4 (chatur-kshedam). <br /><br />P.S: Ardha means half in Sanskrit, and Virasena defined log to the base 2 as the number of times a number could be halved. Hence, the name. <br />Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post-80747767245925816492014-07-03T16:36:50.792-05:002014-07-03T16:36:50.792-05:00From wikipedia:
The decibel (dB) is a logarithmic...From wikipedia:<br /><br /><i>The decibel (dB) is a logarithmic unit used to express the ratio between two values of a physical quantity, often power or intensity. </i><br /><br />Notice that this is a natural scale in the sense that what we perceive to be a sound twice as loud is actually exponentially bigger. I.e. the intensity meters in our ears/brains have a built in log term.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post-50979838275703554692014-07-03T08:33:00.461-05:002014-07-03T08:33:00.461-05:00Statistics: log-likelihhod.Statistics: log-likelihhod.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3722233.post-61525699091541220932014-07-03T04:35:35.361-05:002014-07-03T04:35:35.361-05:00The idea is due to the Babylonians, 2000 BC.
Rafe...The idea is due to the Babylonians, 2000 BC.<br /><br />Rafee Kamouna.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com