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Logarithm base 1

Edited by So8res last updated 15th Sep 2016

There is no logarithm base 1, because no matter how many times you multiply 1 by 1, you get 1. If there were a log base 1, it would send 1 to 0 (because logb(1)=0 for every b), and it would also send 1 to 1 (because logb(b)=1 for every b), which demonstrates some of the difficulties with log1. In fact, it would need to send 1 to every number, because log(1⋅1)=log(1)+log(1) and so on. And it would need to send every x>1 to ∞, and every 0<x<1 to −∞, and those aren't numbers, so there's no logarithm base 1.

But if you really want a logarithm base 1, you can define log1 to be a multifunction from R+ to R∪{∞,−∞}. On the input 1 it outputs R. On every input x>1 it outputs {∞}. On every input 0<x<1 it outputs {−∞}. This multifunction can be made to satisfy all the basic properties of the logarithm, if you interpret = as ∈, 1{∞} as the interval (1,∞), and 1{−∞} as the interval (0,1). For example, 0∈log1(1), 1∈log1(1), and log1(1)+log1(1)∈log1(1⋅1). 7∈log1(17), and 15∈1log1(15). This is not necessarily the best idea ever, but hey, the final form of the logarithm was already a multifunction, so whatever. See also Log_is_a_multifunction.

While you're thinking about weird logarithms, see also Log base infinity.

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Logarithm
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