Logarithms

Someone whispers '2 to what power equals 8?' You pause, then answer '3, because 2 × 2 × 2 = 8.' Congratulations — you just computed a logarithm. A logarithm is nothing more than the answer to the question 'what exponent?'. It's the inverse of exponentiation: where 2³ = 8 asks for the result, log₂(8) = 3 asks for the exponent that produced it. The scary name hides the friendliest idea: undoing a power.