What is Magnitude: Definition and 1000 Discussions

An order of magnitude is an approximation of the logarithm of a value relative to some contextually understood reference value, usually ten, interpreted as the base of the logarithm and the representative of values of magnitude one. Logarithmic distributions are common in nature and
considering the order of magnitude of values sampled from such a distribution can be more intuitive. When the reference value is ten, the order of magnitude can be understood as the number of digits in the base-10 representation of the value. Similarly, if the reference value is one of certain powers of two, the magnitude can be understood as the amount of computer memory needed to store the exact integer value.
Differences in order of magnitude can be measured on a base-10 logarithmic scale in “decades” (i.e., factors of ten). Examples of numbers of different magnitudes can be found at Orders of magnitude (numbers).

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  1. V

    Calculating Vector Magnitude and Angle

    Homework Statement What is the magnitude and angle to Vector B - 2(Vector A)? Homework Equations A sub x: 44cos28 = 38.85 A sub y: 44sin28 = 20.66 B sub x: 26.5cos56 = 14.82 <-- (Does the negative sign matter in 26.5? My teacher said it's not) B sub y: 26.5sin56 = 21.97 The...
  2. C

    What is the Invariant Magnitude of 4-Acceleration?

    I know that if you go an accelerated observer's frame, the 4-acceleration is $$a^\mu=(0,{\bf a})$$ which means the magnitude is just $$-{\bf a}^2$$ which should be invariant. But I'm having a hard time showing this from the general expression for the 4-acceleration. I get to $$a_\mu...
  3. V

    Magnitude and direction of an electric field outside of a plate?

    Homework Statement A circular metal plate of radius 0.2 m has 1010 excess electrons uniformly distributed over its surfaces. What is the magnitude and direction of the field just outside the plate near its center? Homework Equations E = kQ/r2 The Attempt at a Solution Starting with E =...
  4. H

    Why Is the Magnitude of Four Velocity Always Equal to c?

    Homework Statement Prove that the magnitude of the general four velocity U = (γc, γvx, γvy, γvz) is always equal to c. The Attempt at a Solution |U| = =\sqrt{(\gamma c)^{2}+(\gamma v_{x})^{2}+(\gamma v_{y})^{2}+(\gamma v_{z})^{2}} =\gamma\sqrt{c^{2}+v_{x}^{2}+v_{y}^{2}+v_{z}^{2}}...
  5. T

    Determine the magnitude of the minimum acceleration

    Homework Statement A 76-kg petty thief wants to escape from a third-story jail window. Unfortunately, a makeshift rope made of sheets tied together can support a mass of only 58 kg.Determine the magnitude of the minimum acceleration at which the thief can descend using the rope. Homework...
  6. U

    Calculating the magnitude of two vectors

    1. Two displacement vectors, S and T, have magnitudes S = 3 m and T= 4 m. Which of the following could be the magnitude of the difference vector S - T ? (There may be more than one correct answer.) (i) 9 m; (ii) 7 m; (iii) 5 m; (iv) 1 m; (v) 0 m; (vi) - 1 m 2. Vector principles 3. shouldn't...
  7. C

    Magnitude and direction of electric field with nonconducting sheets

    Homework Statement Two very large, non-conducting sheets, each 10cm thick, carry uniform charge densities δ1 = -6.00μC/m^2, δ2 = +5.00μC/m^2, δ3 = +2.00μC/m^2, δ4 = 4.00μC/m^2. Use Gauss's law to find the magnitude and direction of the electric field at points A, B, and C, far from the edges...
  8. M

    How Do You Calculate Vector Addition and Subtraction?

    Homework Statement Vector a has a magnitude of 4.3 m and is directed east. Vector b has a magnitude of 3.9 m and is directed 35° west of north. What are (a) the magnitude and (b) the direction (from east) of a + b ? What are (c) the magnitude and (d) the direction (from east) of b - a...
  9. D

    Magnitude of the electric force?

    Need help calculating a problem, the questions states that. "Three charges are located at the corners of an equilaterial triangle. What is the magnitude of the electrical force on q1? I am really confused with this problem, i been trying to solve this problem and still had no luck ANY HELP WILL...
  10. E

    What is the magnitude of the average force required to stop a

    Homework Statement What is the magnitude of the average force required to stop an 1500kg car in 8.0s if the car is traveling at 75km/h ? Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution
  11. S

    Magnitude of The Force Supported at Point A

    Homework Statement Calculate the magnitude of the force supported by the point at A under the action of the 2.9-kN load applied to the bracket. Neglect friction in the slot. Homework Equations ƩMA=0 ƩFy=0 ƩFx=0 The Attempt at a Solution I started by finding the moment around A...
  12. O

    Constant radial and angular velocity; find magnitude of acceleration.

    Homework Statement (a) A particle moves in a plane with constant radial velocity [(r)\dot] and constant angular velocity [θ\dot]. When the particle is at distance r from the origin, determine the speed of the particle. Data: [(r)\dot] = 3.2 m/s; [θ\dot] = 2.3 rad/s; r = 3.2 m. (b) When the...
  13. R

    Apparent magnitude of the Moon from Mercury?

    I know there there has to be a simple answer to this, but I can't understand where it's at. Here is the question. Find the apparent magnitude of the Moon [Earth's] as seen from Mercury. Assume Mercury is 0.52 AU from the Moon and that Mercury sees the Moon fully [it's a full moon]. Okay...
  14. R

    Find the magnitude and the direction of the electric field at the thir

    Homework Statement Two point charges are placed at two of the corners of a triangle as shown in the figure. (Take q1 = -11.3 μC, and q2 = 15.4 μC.) Find the magnitude and the direction of the electric field at the third corner of the triangle. {Correct Answer: 1.07e+07 N/C at 71.2 degrees...
  15. B

    BALL DROP EXPERIMENT: calculation of the magnitude of G

    I plotted the distance in cm ( y2-y1) versus the average change in time squared. (This had to be done by hand...) Then I had to find the slope and the y-intercept. Then I was asked to, " ... From your slope, find the magnitude of the acceleration due to gravity (g)" ... I am really...
  16. J

    What is the magnitude of Electric Field at r=R/2

    Homework Statement The first question asks: What is the electric field when the radius of a sphere is R. For this first question I put E=k\frac{Q}{R^2} and got the question correct. The second question simply states: What is the electric field at r=R/2. I used Coulomb's law, Gauss' law, and...
  17. Sneakatone

    How to make a mathematica code with vectors and magnitude

    Homework Statement Create a mathematica code to add arbitrary number of 3 dimensional vectors. 1. n: the number of vectors which must be added 2. For each input vector, the code should accept the following: a. Length of the vector b. Three angles which the vector makes with x, y, and z...
  18. O

    What is the magnitude of force vector?

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  19. N

    Finding the magnitude of the electrostatic force from a thin rod

    Homework Statement The figure shows a uniformly charged thin rod of length L that has total charge Q. Find an expression for the magnitude of the electrostatic force acting on an electron positioned on the axis of the rod at a distance d from the midpoint of the rod...
  20. O

    Finding magnitude and directional sense of resultant moment

    Do I understand correctly that I need to find resultant moment which is measured in N*m units? 1. The railway crossing gate consists of the 110-kg gate arm having a center of mass at Ga and the 275-kg counterweight having a center of mass at Gw. Determine the magnitude and directional sense of...
  21. C

    Magnitude of Force of two point charges on a third (electrostatics)

    Two point charges are placed on the x-axis as follows: charge q1 = 4.01nC is located at x= 0.201m , and charge q2 = 5.00nC is at x= -0.301m. What is the magnitude of the total force exerted by these two charges on a negative point charge q3 = -6.03nC that is placed at the origin? I know I...
  22. T

    Magnitude of a Point Charge on a Line

    Homework Statement The drawing shows a positive point charge +q1, a second point charge q2 that may be positive or negative, and a spot labeled P, all on the same straight line. The distance d between the two charges is the same as the distance between q1 and the spot P. With q2 present...
  23. K

    Magnitude of force on a charge

    Homework Statement Trying to find the magnitude of the resulting force on the -7 nC charge at the origin and my answers arent matching up. Is there a step I am missing? I used the pythagorean to find r for both ΔOrigin-Q1 and ΔOrigin-Q2. Here is the graph: http://imgur.com/90TQmQU...
  24. T

    What is the Magnitude of Acceleration?

    My prof. made me question what magnitude of acceleration is.. Is it acceleration without direction, i.e -6 m/s/s becomes 6 m/s/s or is it ΔV(speed)/Δt (Sorta like magnitude of acceleration is to acceleration what speed is to velocity)?
  25. S

    Magnitude and Direction of Electric Point Charges

    1. 1: Suppose eight identical point charges q are placed at the corners of a cube with side length L. Find the magnitude and direction of the electric force produced exerted by these charges on another charge q at the center of a face of the cube. Homework Equations 3. So far...
  26. S

    Finding flux from apparent and absolute magnitude

    How much flux reaches Earth from an unobscured star? ##m_{sun} = -26.83## and ##M_{sun} = +4.74## ##m = +6## and ##M = +4.74## Calculated distance of target star: ##d = 17.86 pc## Now, here I'm trying to find the flux of a star that has the same absolute magnitude as our sun, but has an...
  27. A

    Magnitude of force experienced by the electron and direction of force

    An infinitely long straight conductor 'XY' is carrying a current of 5 Ampere. An electron moving with a speed of 10^5 m/s parallel to the conductor in air from A to B. Calculate the magnitude of force experienced by the electron and direction of force. Pls help. Ur help will be greatly...
  28. R

    Orders of Magnitude - From Quark to Superstring Theory

    Fascinating looking at the various orders of magnitude (in terms of length), from the size of the visible universe (~10^25) to the size of a quark (~10^-15), and all orders inbetween. But then I read about Superstring theory and how these strings are at the Planck length, around 10^-33...
  29. B

    Derivative of the magnitude of a function

    I just learned that d/dx|r(t)|=1/|r(t) |X r(t)*r'(t), where * is the dot product and X is mutiply. What is the meaning of this statement, especially in relation to d/x r(t)=r'(t)?(Lets say r(t) is the position vector equation.)
  30. F

    Magnitude of an Electric Field in a Cylinder

    Homework Statement A thin, cylindrical copper shell of diameter ds = 2 cm has along its axis a thin metal wire of diameter dw = 7.50 x 10-03 cm. (as shown in the diagram below.) The wire and the shell carry equal and opposite charges of 6.35 x 10-09 C/cm, distributed uniformly. What is the...
  31. S

    How Does Photon Spin Relate to Quantum Mechanics and Bell's Inequalities?

    The below might need lots of corrections/modifications, since spin is a hard concept to grasp and I don't understand it much. We know that: The angular momentum (spin) of a photon does not have an analogy in classical mechanics. however let's use a loose/inaccurate analogy of something that...
  32. M

    Exploring the Magnitude of Vector Addition: Is |A+B| always equal to |A|+|B|?

    Homework Statement Is it always true that |A+B|=|A|+|B|? The Attempt at a Solution My quick answer to this question was no. But when i was asked why i really couldn't come up with much. any help is appreciated!
  33. P

    What is the magnitude if the total force exerted by the four charges

    Four charges of magnitude +q are placed at the corners of a square whose sides have a length d. What is the magnitude if the total force exerted by the four charges on a charge Q located a distance b along a line perpendicular to the plane of the square and equidistant from the four charges...
  34. Mentallic

    Exploring Graham's Number Orders of Magnitude

    I'd like to discuss numbers at "orders of magnitude" around Graham's number. If any readers haven't heard of this number but are curious to follow, you'll first need to understand http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knuth's_up-arrow_notation"]Knuth's[/PLAIN] up arrow notation and then read up on...
  35. E

    The Magnitude of magnetic force

    Hello, I am have a piece of iron that weighs 0.2 Kg, and I want to attract it vertically (against gravity) with a magnet from a distance of 0.3 M. I started looking online on different magnet providers, they provide information such as the "Magnetic Face area: 20 x 30mm, Thickness: 10mm...
  36. Z

    Magnitude of force to keep stick in equilibrium.

    1. Homework Statement [/b A straight and homogenous stick with mass m is pressed against a wall with the force F. The stick is horizontal perpendicular against the wall. Given that the friction between the wall and the stick is μ, determine the horizontal component of F in order for the stick...
  37. A

    Magnitude of the tension when there is static (variable) friction

    Hello folks, I'm being tricked by the pesky friction force again. I know that static friction acts just to put everything in equilibrium as long as its magnitude doesn't exceed a certain value. That is ok. But when there are other adjustable force such as TENSION and NORMAL, (which in this...
  38. Faraz Murtaza

    How the voltage of very high magnitude is obtained in a tubelight?

    i have a doubt regarding the starting of a tubelight that whenever we switch on the light then we require a very high voltage to create the arc for the continuous flow of current, then how do we get such a large amount of voltage to produce this arc
  39. L

    Turning effects, moments, levers, determing the magnitude of the force

    The figure below shows a section of the human forearm in equilibrium. The weight of the object in the hand is 60 N. The centre of gravity of this object is 32 cm from the elbow. The bicep provides an upward force of magnitude F. The distance between the line of action of this force...
  40. S

    What is the magnitude and difrection of the acceleration?

    1. three forces act on a 5kg mass. the forces are 20n north, 30n west, 45n east. what is the magnitude and direction of the acceleration? - how do I set this up? i am kinda lost on thsi one. 2. what is the gravitational force between a 100 kg object and a 200kg object if centers of mass...
  41. C

    Problem on Order of magnitude estimates for events in daily life

    Hi need help for order of magnitude estimates the question is give the numerical values for order of magnitude estimates for following . explain and justify assumptions (a) the number of cars that pass through an intersection of to busy streets during the evenning commune on a typical workday...
  42. N

    Determine the Magnitude of the Time Rate of Change of Angular Momentum

    Homework Statement In an experiment an individual throws a rock with an initial horizontal velocity of v0 = 20 ft/s at time t=0. The rock is thrown from the edge of a cliff (directly above the base of the cliff) at height h=50 ft from the ground. The origin is assigned at the base of the...
  43. J

    How Do You Calculate the Magnitude of a Filter Response?

    Homework Statement F(w) = a / [1 - be^(-jwT)] where a and b are constants Find the magnitude of this filter response Homework Equations e^(-jX) = cos(X) - isin(X) The Attempt at a Solution the answer is a/ √[1-2bcos(wT) + b^2*cos^2(2wT)] but I can't seem to get rid of...
  44. B

    Magnitude of force one crate exerts on another (both touching)

    1. Homework Statement There is an attachment of the picture of the problem. The figure shows three crates being pushed over a concrete floor by a horizontal force F of magnitude 647 N. The masses of the crates are m1 = 28 kg, m2 = 12 kg, and m3 = 22 kg. The coefficient of kinetic friction...
  45. S

    Calculating Velocity Magnitude for Projectile Motion

    Homework Statement A ball is thrown upward from a platform 5.2meters high with a speed of 15m/s at an angle of 40° from the horizontal. What is the magnitude of its velocity when it hits the ground? distance = 5.2m V_0 = 15m/s angle = 40°Homework Equations Don't have the answer to this...
  46. A

    Magnitude of acceleration of a pendulum

    Homework Statement A 2 kg mass hangs from the end of a 1 meter long string which is Øxed at its other end. The mass is displaced so that the string is at 53° to the vertical and released (remember sin(53°) = cos(37°)=0.8). Find the magnitude of the total acceleration of the mass when the...
  47. W

    Calculating Force and Magnitude of Pulling 400kg Cart up Hill

    1. A person is pulling a heavy cart up a hill. The cart has 400 kg of mass inside it. The person is pulling the cart with 10 N of force. What is the magnitude of the force on the person due to the cart? 3. Is it 4000N?
  48. M

    Finding the magnitude of a complex exponential function

    Homework Statement I want to know the steps involved in finding the magnitude of a complex exponential function. An example of the following is shown in this picture: Homework Equations |a+jb|=sqrt(a^2+b^2) |x/y|=|x|/|y| The Attempt at a Solution For the denominator, I replaced z with e^jw...
  49. K

    CCD responses increased by a couple of orders of magnitude

    So, last week I was working with a raman microscope, specifically using it in a photoluminescence experiment, and for about 20 minutes I was suddenly getting responses a couple of orders of magnitude higher than I did before or after. What's even stranger is that the guy on the desk across...
  50. R

    Magnitude of the Force of friction

    Homework Statement A child pulls a wagon at a constant velocity along a level sidewalk. The child does this by applying a 22-Newton force to the wagon handle, which is inclined at 35° to the sidewalk. What is the magnitude of the force of friction on the wagon? Homework Equations Ff =...
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