4 ms·

lg(cases/pop) = lg(case) - lg(pop) = lg(case) + C

• jimmyswimmy 7y ago
  Excellent math. For those who aren't so comfortable with the mathematical notation, the point of this comment was that the log of the cases per capita is the same as the log of just the cases, plus a constant offset. This constant offset is present in the linked chart, but is visually compressed - you don't really notice it that much. So if you look at the chart and see how the lines do/don't line up on top of one another, that's partly due to the constant offset.
• amai 7y ago
  You are right if you are just interested in the slope. But most people don't just look at the slope, they look at the numbers and what to know, which country is doing better or worse. And that is when the constant (which is different for each country) matters.
  • mzs 7y ago
    lg(1000 * 1000 * 1000) - lg(1000) = 6