Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, "Logarithm" to "Lord Advocate"

part is 0) the mantissa is still kept positive, so that, for example,

_ _ log .25613 = 1.4084604, log .0025613 = 3.4084604, &c.

the minus sign being usually written over the characteristic, and not before it, to indicate that the characteristic only, and not the whole expression, is negative; thus _ 1.4084604 stands for -1 + .4084604.

The fact...