How do I calculate ln in Python using NumPy?

General Discussions
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1

How do I calculate ln in Python using NumPy?

Using NumPy, how can I compute the natural logarithm of a value, ln(x)? Is it equivalent to using np.log(x)?

I understand that the difference between log and ln is that ln refers to the logarithm to the base e, so I’m curious if np.log(x) does the same.

2

While np.log(x) is the standard function for the natural logarithm, you can also use np.log1p(x-1) for values of x near 1, as it provides a more accurate computation for values close to zero:

import numpy as np
result = np.log1p(x-1)  # This effectively calculates ln(x)
3

For clarity, you can define a custom function for ln in Python that uses np.log(x):

import numpy as np
def ln(x):
    return np.log(x)  # Custom function to compute ln(x)
result = ln(x)  # This will return the natural log of x
4

You can use the np.log(x) function, as it computes the natural logarithm of x, which is the same as ln(x). This is the most direct approach:

import numpy as np
result = np.log(x)  # This gives the natural log, i.e., ln(x)