An order of magnitude is the class of scale or magnitude of any amount, where each class contains values of a fixed ratio to the class preceding it. In its most common usage, the amount being scaled is 10 and the scale is the (base 10) exponent being applied to this amount (therefore, to be an order of magnitude greater is to be 10 times as large). Such differences in order of magnitude can be measured on the logarithmic scale in "decades" (i.e. factors of ten).
It is common among scientists and technologists to say that a parameter whose value is not precisely known, or is within a range, is "on the order of" some value. For example, standby electrical power used in a household is not precisely known and varies between households, but is typically of the order of a few tens of watts.
The order of magnitude of a physical quantity is its magnitude in powers of ten when that physical quantity is expressed in powers of ten with one digit to the left of decimal.
Read more about Order Of Magnitude: Use, Non-decimal Orders of Magnitude
Famous quotes containing the words order and/or magnitude:
“The world has not to be put in order: the world is order incarnate. It is for us to put ourselves in unison with this order.”
—Henry Miller (1891–1980)
“Government is either organized benevolence or organized madness; its peculiar magnitude permits no shading.”
—John Updike (b. 1932)