CHARACTERISTIC

, of a Logarithm, the same as Index, or Exponent. This term was first used by Briggs in the 4th section of his Arithmetica Logarithmica, where he treats particularly of it; meaning by it, the integral or first part of a logarithm towards the left hand, which expresses 1 less than the integer places or figures in the number answering to that logarithm, or how far the first figure of this number is removed from the place of units; namely, that 0 is the characteristic of all numbers from 1 to 10; and 1 the characteristic of all those from 10 to 100; and 2 the characteristic of all those from 100 to 1000; and so on.