WordGarden.iologarithmically
C2Pronunciation
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Meanings
Adverb
according to a logarithmic scale, function, or relationship
Beyond the definition
Imagine learning a new, complex skill like playing the piano. In the first few weeks, your progress feels immense as you go from knowing nothing to playing simple melodies. However, as you reach an advanced level, you must put in significantly more work to see even tiny incremental gains. This "tapering off" is the essence of changing logarithmically. Unlike exponential growth, which starts slow and then explodes, logarithmic growth starts with a burst and then gradually slows down.
The word comes from "logarithm," a math idea used to handle very large ranges by looking at powers instead of simple counting. You do not need to be a mathematician to understand it; just think of it as a way of measuring change where early steps matter a lot, and later steps matter less. You might say a computer algorithm runs logarithmically if it stays efficient even when the amount of data grows into the millions.
The term "logarithmically" describes something that changes or increases according to a logarithmic function - a relationship where the rate of growth decreases as the value increases. This creates a distinctive curve that is very steep at the beginning but becomes increasingly flat over time.
Our physical senses offer familiar real-world examples of this. Human hearing and sight work in ways that are often described as logarithmic, letting us handle a huge range of intensities. For instance, the difference in physical air pressure between a whisper and a shout is enormous, but our ears "compress" that range so the shout does not feel infinitely louder than the whisper. This is why sound is measured in decibels, which use a logarithmic scale. Earthquake magnitude scales work in a similar way: a magnitude 7 earthquake has about ten times the ground motion of a magnitude 6.
In computer science, "logarithmic time complexity" is a highly desirable trait for algorithms. It means that as the input data grows, the time required to complete the task increases logarithmically so slowly that even a billion-fold increase in data might only add a few extra steps to the process.
While often used in technical contexts, "logarithmically" can describe any process with diminishing returns or a compressed scale. Whether discussing the way we perceive light, the efficiency of a search engine, or the leveling off of a learning curve, the word implies a non-linear relationship where the most dramatic changes happen at the very start.
Examples
- 1
Graph scale
The graph is scaled logarithmically, so the distance from 10 to 100 is the same as the distance from 100 to 1,000.
- 2
Earthquake scale
Earthquake strength is measured logarithmically; a magnitude 6 quake is much stronger than a magnitude 5.
- 3
Search performance
The search time grows logarithmically as the database gets larger.
See also
Similar
- on a logarithmic scale
- using logarithms
Shades of meaning
- nonlinearly
- sublinearly
- semilogarithmically
Contrast
Used with (collocations)
- logarithmically scaled
- increase logarithmically
- plotted logarithmically
Word family
Explore
- logarithmic scale
- exponential growth
Forms and spellings
1 form open this card.
Main spelling
- logarithmicallyadverb