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A logarithmic graph looks more or less the same as the normal graph. You do use log functions for some predictive algorithms, but not for charts.
by Mikeb85 11y ago
A logarithmic graph looks more or less the same as the normal graph.
You do use log functions for some predictive algorithms, but not for charts.
- ars 11y agoCompare: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/United_States_Income_Distribution_1947-2007.svg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/United_S... and https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/archive/0/01/20110222155802!United_States_Income_Distribution_1947-2007.svg https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/archive/0/01/... The logarithmic graph makes it clear all percentiles grow at exactly the same rate. The linear one tricks you into thinking the top level grows faster even though it doesn't.
- rockinghigh 11y agoThe y-range is different this why the chart looks flatter. Nobody uses log scale for stock prices. A log scale only makes sense if the range of values is over multiple orders of magnitude (1, 10, 100, 1000, 10000, ...).
- ars 11y agoWell obviously the y-range is different! That's the whole point! The data is identical though. A logarithmic graphs show differences (i.e. growth or decline) between values, while a linear graph shows absolute values (i.e. what fraction out of a whole). You do not need multiple orders of magnitude to make logarithmic worthwhile. What matters is the kind of data (change in value, or absolute portion of a whole), not the range.