Calculating Napier's logarithm

Share this page

Calculating Napier's logarithm

We'll show that x107=e(y107), The point Q moves at a constant speed of 107, so we have dy/dt=107. Since P moves at a speed that is proportional to the distance x left to travel we have dx/dt=x. From this we see that dy/dx=107x, which gives y=107lncx, for some constant c. We can work out the value of c using our initial conditions. At the start, the point P still needs to travel the whole length of the line segment AB, which is 107. Therefore x0=107. The point Q hasn't gone anywhere yet, so y0=0. Plugging this into the expression above gives 0=107lnc107, so e0=1=c107. Therefore, c=1107, so y=107lnx107, and x107=e(y107), which is what we wanted to show.

Back to main article