Android Question logarithms using BigDecimals [Solved}

[Roger Daley]

Hi All

I think this is a question that stetches the bounds of the forum but does anyone know how to calculate Logs using BigDecimals? Any base.

I have found many references but I am out of mathematical depth. The only code I found was Java, further out of my depth.

Regards Roger

/**
* Compute the natural logarithm of x to a given scale, x > 0.
*/
public static BigDecimal ln(BigDecimal x, int scale)
{
    // Check that x > 0.
    if (x.signum() <= 0) {
        throw new IllegalArgumentException("x <= 0");
    }

    // The number of digits to the left of the decimal point.
    int magnitude = x.toString().length() - x.scale() - 1;

    if (magnitude < 3) {
        return lnNewton(x, scale);
    }

    // Compute magnitude*ln(x^(1/magnitude)).
    else {

        // x^(1/magnitude)
        BigDecimal root = intRoot(x, magnitude, scale);

        // ln(x^(1/magnitude))
        BigDecimal lnRoot = lnNewton(root, scale);

        // magnitude*ln(x^(1/magnitude))
        return BigDecimal.valueOf(magnitude).multiply(lnRoot)
                    .setScale(scale, BigDecimal.ROUND_HALF_EVEN);
    }
}

/**
* Compute the natural logarithm of x to a given scale, x > 0.
* Use Newton's algorithm.
*/
private static BigDecimal lnNewton(BigDecimal x, int scale)
{
    int        sp1 = scale + 1;
    BigDecimal n   = x;
    BigDecimal term;

    // Convergence tolerance = 5*(10^-(scale+1))
    BigDecimal tolerance = BigDecimal.valueOf(5)
                                        .movePointLeft(sp1);

    // Loop until the approximations converge
    // (two successive approximations are within the tolerance).
    do {

        // e^x
        BigDecimal eToX = exp(x, sp1);

        // (e^x - n)/e^x
        term = eToX.subtract(n)
                    .divide(eToX, sp1, BigDecimal.ROUND_DOWN);

        // x - (e^x - n)/e^x
        x = x.subtract(term);

        Thread.yield();
    } while (term.compareTo(tolerance) > 0);

    return x.setScale(scale, BigDecimal.ROUND_HALF_EVEN);
}

 

[Roger Daley]

Hi All

Answering my own question. I have resorted to using Taylor series to produce a Code Module for Logs and AntiLogs [Base e and Base 10]. Not the perfect result but better than returning to Double precision. The Code module is attached and also posted in Code Snippets.

Regards Roger