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On Friday, January 3, 2003, at 04:55 PM, Bruce Stark wrote:

> I can't seem to find my book of trig and log tables by Gauss. But as I
> recall, the author's initials were not the same as the more famous
> Gauss.
> Still, though the addition and subtraction logs may have been
> published by a
> Gauss-number-two, Gauss-number-one may have invented them. I'd like to
> know.

 From http://100.1911encyclopedia.org/L/LO/LOGARITHM.htm:

Addition and Subtraction, - or Gaussian Logarithms.�Gaussian logarithms
are intended to facilitate the finding of the logarithms of the sum and
difference of two numbers whose logarithms are known, the numbers
themselves being unknown; and on this account they are frequently
called addition and subtraction logarithms. The object of the table is
in fact to give log (a~b) by only one entry when log a and log b are
given. The utility of such logarithms was first pointed out by Leonelli
ma book entitled Supplement logarithmique, printed at Bordeaux in the
year XI. (180213); he calculated a table to 14 places, but only a
specimen of it which appeared in the Sup plCment was printed. The first
table that was actually published is due to Gauss, and was printed in
Zach�s Monatliche Correspondenz, xxvi. 498 (1812). Corresponding to the
argument log x it gives the values of log (I +x_i) and log (I +x).

   

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