Logarithms: Taking the Curve Out
Logarithms are very handy when dealing with numbers at lots of different scales (see related PUMAS example: Just What is a Logarithm, Anyway?). But they also have another useful feature: they help us average measurements of physical phenomena that have nonlinear behavior. A common example in my field of study relates cloud "albedo" to cloud optical depth (Fig. 1); but similar examples may be found when examining many natural phenomena.
Lin Chambers
Date Accepted:
2003-01-21
Grade Group:
High School (9-12)
Benchmarks:
M6.3.1
M6.4.7
M9.3.1
M9.4.4
Keywords:
logarithms
mean value
non-linear
statistics
Microsoft Word:
12_30_02_1.docx
PDF Document:
12_30_02_1.pdf