order of magnitude

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Thân thiện
Definition
  1. Noun:
    • A class in a system of classification determined by size, typically involving powers of ten: "order of magnitude" refers to a category or scale where each step represents a tenfold (10x) increase or decrease. It is used to compare sizes or quantities in a very general, approximate way.
    • A very large difference or change in size, amount, or importance: Informally, the phrase can describe a huge, fundamental difference, often implying a factor of ten or more.
Usage Examples
  • Noun:
    • The estimated cost was in the order of magnitude of one million dollars. (The cost was roughly around $1,000,000, not $100,000 or $10,000,000.)
    • The new processor is an order of magnitude faster than the old one. (The new processor is approximately ten times faster.)
    • The two problems differ by an order of magnitude in complexity. (One problem is roughly ten times more complex than the other.)
Advanced Usage
  • "To be within an order of magnitude": To be roughly correct; to be no more than ten times greater or smaller than the actual value.
    • My guess wasn't exact, but it was within an order of magnitude of the final result.
  • "Orders of magnitude" (plural): Used when comparing across multiple scales of ten.
    • A nanometer is three orders of magnitude smaller than a micrometer. (A nanometer is 1000 times, or 10³ times, smaller.)
Variants and Related Words
  • Magnitude (n): The great size, extent, or importance of something.
  • Logarithmic scale (n): A scale of measurement where each step represents a multiplication by a fixed value (often 10), directly related to the concept of orders of magnitude.
Synonyms
  • Scale: The relative size or extent of something.
  • Ballpark figure: A rough numerical estimate.
  • Tenfold: Ten times as great or as numerous.
Related Phrases
  • In the ballpark of: Approximately, roughly in the range of.
    • The repair costs are in the ballpark of $500.
  • To differ by a factor of X: To be X times greater or smaller.
    • The new model is cheaper by a factor of five.
Related Idioms
  • A whole different ballgame: Something completely different in scale or nature.
    • Managing a team of fifty is a whole different ballgame compared to a team of five. (This idiom conveys a significant difference, similar to a change in order of magnitude.)
Noun
  1. a number assigned to the ratio of two quantities; two quantities are of the same order of magnitude if one is less than 10 times as large as the other; the number of magnitudes that the quantities differ is specified to within a power of 10
  2. a degree in a continuum of size or quantity
    • it was on the order of a mile
    • an explosion of a low order of magnitude

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