This post offers reasons for using logarithmic scales, also called log scales, on charts and graphs. It explains when logarithmic graphs with base 2 are preferred to logarithmic graphs with base 10.

This is a useful chart for quickly monitoring datacenter security and determining if your server has been compromised. [Click on image for larger view.] Figure 1. An example of a typical overlay chart ...

The second finding, however, is the key weakness of a log chart: people have a hard time interpreting the scale. In the log chart, the final dot looks like it’s at around 60-70,000 deaths or so.