The Math.log() static method returns the natural logarithm (base e) of a number. That is
βx>0,πΌπππ.πππ(π‘)=ln(x)=the unique y such that ey=x\forall x > 0,\;\mathtt{\operatorname{Math.log}(x)} = \ln(x) = \text{the unique } y \text{ such that } ey = x
Syntax
Math.log(x)
Parameters
x- : A number greater than or equal to 0.
Return value
The natural logarithm (base e) of x. If x is Β±0, returns -Infinity. If x < 0, returns NaN.
Description
Because log() is a static method of Math, you always use it as Math.log(), rather than as a method of a Math object you created (Math is not a constructor).
If you need the natural log of 2 or 10, use the constants Math.LN2 or Math.LN10. If you need a logarithm to base 2 or 10, use Math.log2 or Math.log10. If you need a logarithm to other bases, use Math.log(x) / Math.log(otherBase) as in the example below; you might want to precalculate 1 / Math.log(otherBase) since multiplication in Math.log(x) * constant is much faster.
Beware that positive numbers very close to 1 can suffer from loss of precision and make its natural logarithm less accurate. In this case, you may want to use Math.log1p instead.
Examples
Using Math.log()
Math.log(-1); // NaN
Math.log(-0); // -Infinity
Math.log(0); // -Infinity
Math.log(1); // 0
Math.log(10); // 2.302585092994046
Math.log(Infinity); // Infinity
Using Math.log() with a different base
The following function returns the logarithm of y with base x (i.e. logxy\log_x y):
function getBaseLog(x, y) {
return Math.log(y) / Math.log(x);
}
If you run getBaseLog(10, 1000), it returns 2.9999999999999996 due to floating-point rounding, but still very close to the actual answer of 3.