Logarithmic Scale
Etymology
From “logarithm,” coined by John Napier in 1614 from Greek “logos” (ratio, reckoning) and “arithmos” (number). Napier devised logarithms to turn multiplication into addition, and scales built on them followed.
noun phrase · /log-uh-RITH-mik SKAYL/
A scale on which each equal step multiplies the value (10, 100, 1000) rather than adding to it.
What it names
It reveals patterns across enormous ranges — earthquakes, sound, wealth — that a normal scale would flatten or distort.
Example
On a logarithmic chart of covid cases, a straight line does not mean cases are steady — it means they are still doubling at a constant rate.
Related idea
A log scale can quietly mislead a reader used to a linear axis, because a gentle-looking slope may represent an increase of orders of magnitude.