magnitude

Everyday

1. The size or how big something is. tree →
2. How important or serious something is (a problem of great magnitude). tree →
3. (science) The strength of an earthquake, measured on a scale. tree →
4. (science) The brightness of a star. tree →
5. (maths) The size of a number or vector without its sign or direction. tree →

In the lessons

In science, earthquake magnitude (a magnitude 6 earthquake), star brightness, and size of forces. In maths, comparing the magnitude of numbers (order of magnitude = roughly how many tens or powers of ten). Phrases: «of this magnitude», «order of magnitude», «magnitude of the earthquake».

Examples

• The earthquake had a magnitude of 7. tree →
• We didn't realise the magnitude of the problem. tree →
• The magnitude of −5 is 5. tree →
• Sirius is the brightest star — its magnitude is very low. tree →
• A force of 10 newtons has a greater magnitude than 6 newtons. tree →
• 1,000 is three orders of magnitude bigger than 1. tree →
• The king's palace attained to the stupendous magnitude of Periwinkle's baby house, and stood in the center of a spacious square, which could hardly have been covered by our hearth-rug. tree →

Note

Mostly uncountable. Formal; everyday: «size», «importance». Traps: on the earthquake scale, each step up is about 10 times more shaking, so magnitude 6 is not just a little more than 5; for stars, a SMALLER magnitude number means BRIGHTER. In maths: magnitude ignores the minus sign (absolute value).

In Jewish tradition

In science, earthquake magnitude (a magnitude 6 earthquake), star brightness, and size of forces. In maths, comparing the magnitude of numbers (order of magnitude = roughly how many tens or powers of ten). Phrases: «of this magnitude», «order of magnitude», «magnitude of the earthquake».

Examples

• He further says: "Many writers have from time to time remarked upon the extraordinary magnitude of the numbers with which we deal in this subject. (Mordell, The Origin of Letters and Numerals according to Sefer Yetzirah (1914)) tree →

Note

Mostly uncountable. Formal; everyday: «size», «importance». Traps: on the earthquake scale, each step up is about 10 times more shaking, so magnitude 6 is not just a little more than 5; for stars, a SMALLER magnitude number means BRIGHTER. In maths: magnitude ignores the minus sign (absolute value).