Mantissa of a common logarithm

Mantissa of a Common Logarithm of a Number. An important consequence of the use of base 10 is that the mantissa of a number is independent of the position of the decimal point. Thus 93 600, 93.600, 0.000 936, all have the same mantissa. Hence in Tables of Common Logarithms only mantissas are given. A five-place table gives the values of the mantissa correct to five places of decimals. 

A common logarithm, in general, consists of an integer, which is called the characteristic, and a decimal (usually endless), which is called the mantissa. The characteristic of any number may be determined from the following rules ... 

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