LOGARITHMS & DECIBELS

There is nothing magic about logarithms. They are simply a way of expressing
multiplication and division as addition and subtraction. Logarithms come in handy when
dealing with really large or really small numbers, or when there are lots of multiplications
and divisions to perform.

What is a logarithm
So what is a logarithm? I’ll answer the question indirectly. We know that we can
express numbers as powers, for example:

102 = 100 (= 10 x 10)

103 = 1000 (= 10 x 10 x 10)
23 = 8 (= 2 x 2 x 2)

These all have the general form:

xy = z

In other words if we take x and raise it to the power y we get z. We say that the logarithm
of z to base x is y. In the examples above the logarithm of 100 to base 10 is 2, the
logarithm of 1000 to base 10 is 3. Easy so far.

Not every logarithm (or log) is a whole number. The log of 500 to base 10 will be
somewhere between 2 and 3. In this case our calculator tells us that log10500 = 2.69897.

Anti Logarithms
Antilogs are the process by which we turn a log back into a number. We know from
above that log10500 = 2.69897. To turn this back onto a number we raise the base to the
power of the log. In the example the base is 10, the log is 2.69897, so if we raise 10 to
the power 2.69897we should get the number 500. In other words 102.69897 = 500. This
process is called “taking antilogs to base 10”.

Changing base
Sometimes the base is inconvenient. For example if we wanted to find the log of 10 to
base 2 we have a problem. We can estimate what is should be, for example 23 = 8 and 24
= 16, so the log of 10 will lie between 3 and 4. We don’t have log2 on our calculators
(which is a pity as it’s useful in other areas of science) so we have to change the base to
get a more convenient form.

With a little mathematical jiggery-pokery it can be shown that:

Log 10 10
Log 2 10 = = 3.322
Log 10 2
What have we done here? We’ve calculated the value of a log to base 2 in terms on log
to base 10, in other words we’ve changed the base to a more convenient one. In general,
if we want to find the log of a number n to base a, we can find it from the equation:

Log b n
Log a n =
Log b a

The base b can be any convenient base, normally one which suits the calculator or
software being used.

Properties of logarithms
Logs have some interesting properties, the most useful of which concern multiplication
and division of numbers. Imagine that the number z is the product of 4 numbers, denoted
v, w, x and y. Conventionally we would write:

z = v× w× x× y

If we take logarithms to any base a this multiplication becomes:

Loga z = Loga v + Loga w + Loga x + Loga y

So multiplication of numbers becomes addition of the logs of those numbers. What about
division? Re-define the question so that:

vw
z=
xy

In this case:

Loga z = Loga v + Loga w - Loga x - Loga y

So division of numbers becomes subtraction of the logs of those numbers.

What of we take powers of numbers. Imagine that z = xy. Taking logs we find that:

Log a z = yLog a x

So raising a number to a power becomes a multiplication by that number when we take

logs. Similarly, if we raise the number to a negative power z = x-y:

Log a z = − yLog a x
Note that all the above examples are to an arbitrary base a. These properties hold true for
any base, provided that we use the same base for all calculations. We can even do
complex examples:

y
 vw 
z= 
 x 

Then:

Loga z = yLoga v +y Loga w - yLoga x

Gain
Imagine a device, for example an amplifier, which has an input signal of power Pi and
amplifies this to an output power Po.

We can say that the device has a “gain” G such that:

P0 = GPi

Which can be rearranged to give a definition of gain as the ratio of output power to input
power:

Po
G=
Pi

We can express gain logarithmically as:

Po
G = Log 10 Bel
Pi

Historically the unit for power gain was the Bel, named after the founder of telephony
Alexander Graham Bell. Early telephone engineers found that, by multiplying the answer
by 10, they could calculate to fewer decimal places without loss of accuracy. This was
useful in the pre-calculator era, and gave rise to the unit ten-Bel or deci-Bel. By
convention we now use the following equation for gain:
 Po
G = 10 Log 10 dB
Pi

Example: A radio amplifier has an input power of 1 watt and output power of 30 watts.
What is its gain in dB?

Po 30
G = 10 Log 10 = 10 Log 10 = 14.8 dB
Pi 1

Imagine a chain of amplifiers each with different gains.

By considering the input to each amplifier as the output of the previous amplifier, it can
be shown that the total gain is:

Gtot = G1 × G 2 × G3 × G 4
× G n

In decibels, this equation becomes:

Gtot = G1 + G 2 + G3 + G 4 +
G n dB

We’ve changed multiplication into addition. If the gain of one of the amplifiers changes
we only need to add numbers rather than multiply them.

Loss
Not all devices have gain. Some devices lose power so that the output power is less than
the input power.

Example: A transmitter feeds 100W into a low quality radio cable but only 75W reaches
the antenna. What is the gain of the cable in dB?

Po 75
G = 10 Log 10 = 10 Log10 = - 1.25 dB
Pi 100

Note that the gain in dB is negative. We refer to the device having “loss” rather than
“gain”.
If the cable had no loss, so that 100W of power was input to the cable and 100W was
delivered to the antenna, it would have a gain of 0dB. The following table contains
useful values of gains in dB and ratio form.

Gain (dB) Gain (ratio)

100 × 1010 (× 10,000,000,000)
50 × 105 (× 100,000)
40 × 10 4
(× 10,000)
30 × 10 3
(× 1000)
20 × 10 2
(× 100)
19 × 80
16 × 40
13 × 20
10 × 10
9 ×8
6 ×4
3 ×2
0 ×1
-3 × 1/2 (÷ 2)
-6 × 1/4 (÷ 4)
-9 × 1/8 (÷ 8)
-10 × 1/10 (÷ 10)
-13 × 1/20 (÷ 20)
-16 × 1/40 (÷ 40)
-19 × 1/80 (÷ 80)
-20 × 1/100 (÷ 100)
-30 × 1/1000 (÷ 200)

Mixing gains and losses

Imagine that we have a system which contains a mixture of devices, some with gain and
others with loss.

The total gain expressed as a ratio is:

G1 × G2 × G3
Gtot =
L1 × L2 × L3
Whereas I decibels it becomes:

Gtot = G1 + G 2 + G3 − L1 − L2 − L3 dB

As systems become more complex the decibel option becomes simpler to use. In the
above example, if each of the gains and losses depended on a number of other factors, for
example the length of cables or the values of electronic components, calculation as a ratio
would become unwieldy. In these circumstances the advantage of decibels becomes
apparent: the contribution of each term can be calculated independently and the values of
each gain and loss added together.

Turning decibels to ratios

This is just like taking antilogs, with the exception that the ×10 factor needs to be
accounted for. If we say that X is the ratio value, and x is the value in dB:

ratio to decibel

x = 10 Log 10 X

decibel to ratio

x
X = 10 10

When converting back to a ratio it is imperative to remember whether the dB value is a

gain or a loss, and include the sign. If x represents a device with loss, then it is really –x
and should be calculated as:

−x
X = 10 10

This point cannot be over emphasized, as it is the cause of many incorrect results.

Decibel Units
In all the above examples we’ve considered simple devices with power gain and power
loss. Decibels can be used in other contexts. We can define units of power and other
elements in decibels. For example we can take a reference power of 1 Watt and define a
unit of power in decibels called the “decibel watt” or dBW, such that 1 Watt is 0 dBW.

Example: A transmitter has an output power of 20W. What is its output power in dBW?

Po 20
Power = 10 Log 10 = 10 Log 10 = 13.0 dBW
Pref 1
Another useful decibel power unit is the dB referenced to 1 milliwatt (1/1000 watt),
denoted dBm. This is often used in low power radio transmitters or telephony. We can
relate dBW to dBm as long as we remember that 0 dBW = 30 dBm (or conversely 0 dBm
= -30 dBW).

In communications we sometimes use dB in relation to 1 Hz bandwidth (dBHz),

temperature in Kelvin above absolute zero (dBK), and the gain of an antenna referenced
to an isotropic (truly omnidirectional) antenna (dBi).