TITLE: What's the correct notation for log squared?
QUESTION [24 upvotes]: I ran across these two notations for the log function (squared), which one is more conventional.
$\log^2(n)$ or $[\log(n)]^2$

REPLY [22 votes]: Most people will use $\log^2(n)$ and there is no problem with that. If you want to be absolutely certain no one will think you are talking about $\log\log n$, then  you can write $\bigl(\log(n)\bigr)^2$