Natural Log of −1

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Log base
x

What is ln(−1)?

Answer

ln(−1)
does not exist

ln is the natural log, base e ≈ 2.71828.

e raised to any power is a positive number, so the negative number −1 cannot be reached.

We look for y with ey = −1.

Oxy1

The curve y = ln x passes through (1, 0) and (e, 1) and rises: for x > 1 the log is positive, for 0 < x < 1 negative.

The graph exists only to the right of the y-axis: there is no point at x = −1.

Log of −1 in different bases
BaseNotationValue
eln(−1)does not exist
10log(−1)does not exist
2log₂(−1)does not exist

See Also

FAQ

What is ln(−1)?

ln(−1) does not exist

Does ln(−1) exist in complex numbers?

Yes, in complex numbers: the principal value for x < 0 is ln x = ln|x| + iπ, so ln(−1) = iπ ≈ 3.1416i. Among real numbers it does not exist.

What does log without a base mean?

At school and on a calculator, log x without a base is the common log, base 10: log 100 = 2. In Python, math.log(x) is the natural log ln x; in Excel, LN is the natural log and LOG is base 10.