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Currency exchange rates aren't supposed to need a logarithmic scale. That would be a visual equivalent of burying the lede.

ars 12y ago
> Currency exchange rates aren't supposed to need a logarithmic scale. That makes no sense at all. A logarithmic scale works perfectly for small fluctuations or large.
oleganza 12y ago
Logarithmic scale makes sense for everyone. If you buy at X dollars and has 100% return when the price is 2X it does not matter what X actually is. Logarithmic scale reflects relative changes which is the only interesting metric for investors. If Bitcoin was traded at $98 12 months ago and now trades at $480, it shows relative change of 400% while the prices themselves do not tell you much.
- idlewords 12y ago
  If bitcoin can go from $98 to $480 in twelve months, that's a glowing sign to merchants saying "BITCOIN TOO VOLATILE TO USE". Investors are not the only audience. I want that big, scary, spiky graph.
  - ars 12y ago
    > I want that big, scary, spiky graph. You can also just fake the numbers if that's what you want. A non-logarithmically graph is just completely misleading. If you see spikes on a logarithmically graph then you are talking volatile. Spikes on a non-logarithmically graph mean nothing whatsoever.
  - tlrobinson 12y ago
    Merchants don't care (except to the extent consumers care), they almost all use BitPay / Coinbase to insulate themselves from volatility.
  - nkuttler 12y ago
    Merchants can use a bitcoin to USD payment gateway, and almost all do it. The bitcoin price becomes irrelevant, and implementing bitcoin payments only has to cost less than the additional sales to be profitable. Sure, if you want a big, scary graph go ahead. If you want more sales, who cares.
wyager 12y ago
>Currency exchange rates aren't supposed to need a logarithmic scale. That's funny, because if you are doing historical analysis of, say, the dollar, you need a log scale or else the current value of the dollar is pretty much indistinguishable from zero.

ars 12y ago

> Currency exchange rates aren't supposed to need a logarithmic scale. That makes no sense at all. A logarithmic scale works perfectly for small fluctuations or large.

oleganza 12y ago

Logarithmic scale makes sense for everyone. If you buy at X dollars and has 100% return when the price is 2X it does not matter what X actually is. Logarithmic scale reflects relative changes which is the only interesting metric for investors. If Bitcoin was traded at $98 12 months ago and now trades at $480, it shows relative change of 400% while the prices themselves do not tell you much.

idlewords 12y ago
If bitcoin can go from $98 to $480 in twelve months, that's a glowing sign to merchants saying "BITCOIN TOO VOLATILE TO USE". Investors are not the only audience. I want that big, scary, spiky graph.
- ars 12y ago
  > I want that big, scary, spiky graph. You can also just fake the numbers if that's what you want. A non-logarithmically graph is just completely misleading. If you see spikes on a logarithmically graph then you are talking volatile. Spikes on a non-logarithmically graph mean nothing whatsoever.
- tlrobinson 12y ago
  Merchants don't care (except to the extent consumers care), they almost all use BitPay / Coinbase to insulate themselves from volatility.
- nkuttler 12y ago
  Merchants can use a bitcoin to USD payment gateway, and almost all do it. The bitcoin price becomes irrelevant, and implementing bitcoin payments only has to cost less than the additional sales to be profitable. Sure, if you want a big, scary graph go ahead. If you want more sales, who cares.

wyager 12y ago

>Currency exchange rates aren't supposed to need a logarithmic scale. That's funny, because if you are doing historical analysis of, say, the dollar, you need a log scale or else the current value of the dollar is pretty much indistinguishable from zero.