orders of magnitude
Tenfold difference levels
Orders of magnitude are powers of ten used to express scale differences.
Two quantities differ by an order of magnitude when one is roughly ten times greater than the other—by two orders of magnitude when one is a hundred times greater, and so on.
The phrase often appears loosely to mean a vast difference: The cost overrun was orders of magnitude beyond what anyone expected.
Scientists use the term precisely; laypeople use it for emphasis.
- light-yearsUnits of astronomical distance
- cosmic scaleUniverse-sized frame of reference
- gigabytesData capacity units
- powers of tenSuccessive multiples of ten
- exponential growthQuantity multiplying proportionally over time
time intervals · Richter scale · scientific notation · nanometers · logarithm · astronomical units · Avogadro's number · off the charts · billions · distance measurement · metric prefixes · femtoseconds · trillions · infinity · cosmic perspective · big picture · temperature variations · ten
orders of magnitudepercentage points
Units measuring rate differences
gradual change · fine-tuning · tweaks · hair's breadth · decimal places
orders of magnitudesignificant figures
Digits indicating measurement precision
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