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. H

    It is asking for the magnitude and direction of the electric field strength

    What are the magnitude and direction of the electric field strength at point Z in the following: Point X, q1 = -2.0 x 10^-5 and it is 60 cm to the left of point Y, q2 = 8.0 x 10^-6, which is 30 cm to the left of Z. Essentially, this is what it looks like: X-------Y--Z
  2. P

    The magnitude of terminal potential difference?

    Homework Statement State the magnitude of the terminal potential difference between two supply terminals which are connected to a piece of lead with negligible resistance. The EMF of the circuit is 5000V with internal resistance of 2,000,000 Ohms. I don't really understand what "magnitude"...
  3. B

    Magnitude and Direction of Normal FOrce

    Homework Statement A three-tiered birthday cake rests on a table. From bottom to top, the cake tiers weigh 16 N, 9 N, and 5 N, respectively. What is the magnitude and direction of the normal force ating on the second-tier? Homework Equations FN=FWcos(theta) The Attempt at a Solution...
  4. B

    Magnitude of the Force of Friction

    Homework Statement A sled is pulled at a constant velocity across a hrizontal snow surface. If a force of 8.0 x 10^1 N is being applied to the sled rope at an angle of 53 degrees to the ground, what is the magnitude of the force of friction of the snow acting on the sled? Homework...
  5. K

    Help finding the magnitude of this number.

    Hello, I am trying to find out how my teacher got the magnitude of this expression. This is the original expression: 1/(1 + jwRC) j is an imaginary number Then, he ends up with 1/(sqrt(1 + (wRC)^2)). I get something nasty like: sqrt(2/(1 + 2jwRC - wRC)) Thanks.
  6. M

    What is the magnitude of the frictional force acting on the crate?

    Homework Statement A crate with a total mass of 50 kg is initially at rest on a level floor. A horizontal force of 150N pushes the crate across the floor at a constant acceleration of 1.2m/s2. What is the magnitude of the frictional force acting on the crate? Homework Equations The...
  7. T

    Find magnitude of the force of tension?

    Homework Statement About 50 years ago, the San Diego Zoo, in California, had the largest gorilla on Earth: its mass was about 3.10 * 10^2 kg. Suppose a gorilla with this mass hangs from two vines, each which makes an angel of 30 degrees with the vertical. Draw a free-body diagram showing these...
  8. A

    Magnitude of the gravitational force of attraction between the proton & electron

    Homework Statement A single proton and a single electron are fixed at a distance of 2.8 meters from each other. Find the magnitude of the electric force of attraction between them. i have the answer to this, it is: 2.93*10^-29 but now it asks: Find the magnitude of the gravitational...
  9. P

    Magnitude of the torque about the rotation axis at an instant

    Homework Statement A wheel of diameter 26.0 cm is constrained to rotate in the xy plane, about the z axis, which passes through its center. A force F = ( - 31.0 i + 49.0 j )N acts at a point on the edge of the wheel that lies exactly on the x-axis at a particular instant. What is the...
  10. H

    Magnitude of this complex number

    Homework Statement I have this equation and need to find |F|2 (which should be real). I thought you did this by multiplying by the complex conjugate which was just replacing all i with -i, but this doesn't seem to work. What am I doing wrong? Thanks Homework Equations The...
  11. P

    Newton's Laws and finding magnitude

    An object of mass 1.25 kg on a flat surface has two forces acting on it, F1 and F2 in the horizantal direction. F1 acts in the positive direction, F2 acts in the negative direction. The magnitude of F1 is 26.75 N. The object moves strictly along the horizontal x-axis, which we choose as positive...
  12. L

    Forces, Vectors, Angles, Magnitude, CONFUSED

    Homework Statement Consider four vectors ~ F1, ~ F2, ~ F3, and ~ F4 with magnitudes F1 = 59 N, F2 = 29 N, F3 = 11 N, and F4 = 60 N, θ1 = 150 ◦, θ2 = −150 ◦, θ3 = 23◦, and θ4 = −56◦, measured from the positive x-axis with counterclockwise positive. What is the magnitude of the resultant...
  13. D

    How do you find the magnitude of vectors?

    Homework Statement Consider the two vectors r1 and r2 shown in the diagram. The magnitudes of the two vectors are: r1=6.1 and r2=9.3. The vectors directions relative to the x-axis are defined by the angles: θ1=25 degrees and θ2=51 degrees What is the magnitude of the vector R=r1+r2? A =...
  14. S

    Magnitude of force of friction

    Homework Statement A 12-g coin slides upward on a surface that is inclined at an angle of 12° above the horizontal. The coefficient of kinetic friction between the coin and the surface is 0.23; the coefficient of static friction is 0.35. Find the magnitude and direction of the force of...
  15. H

    Magnitude of Final Angular Speed of Rolling Sphere

    Homework Statement A block with mass 2 kg is hanging from a string that goes over a solid disk pulley with mass mdisk = 2 kg and radius Rdisk = 0.3 m with tension T1=11.34N between them. The other end of the string is attached to a massless axel through the center of an sphere on a flat...
  16. C

    Magnitude of Friction Force - Circular Motion

    Homework Statement A car of mass 1164kg was traveling around a 288m radius corner at a speed of 10.8m/s. What was the magnitude of the fiction force required to maintain the vehicles path? Homework Equations F=ma I have no idea after that The Attempt at a Solution I found mg =...
  17. F

    Vector and magnitude problem

    Homework Statement A little assistance with this question:- A vector, B, when added to the vector C = 3i + 4j yields a resultant vector which is in the positive y direction and has a magnitude equal to that of C. What is the magnitude of B? Homework Equations The Attempt at a...
  18. P

    With what magnitude must the man pull on the rope

    Homework Statement A man is strapped to a chair which is connected to a pulley (combined weight of chair and person = 95 kilograms). With what magnitude must the man pull on the rope if he is to rise a) with a constant velocity b) with an upwards velocity of 1.3 meters per seconds...
  19. X

    Magnitude of centripetal force acting on a roller coaster at the top of a loop

    Homework Statement A roller coaster goes through an inside vertical loop at the minimum speed required to just barely make it through the top of the vertical track. At the very top of the track, the magnitude of the centripetal force acting on the 'coaster is a. mg. b. 2 mg. c. 6 mg. d...
  20. M

    Trouble finding the magnitude of a net force required.

    Here is the problem I have: 1. A 800 kg rocket sled can be accelerated at a constant rate from rest to 1500 km/h in 2.1 s. What is the magnitude of the required net force? First I converted the a from 1500 km/h to 416.7 m/s I then used F=ma but I got the result as 333360 N but this answer is...
  21. I

    Is there such thing as infinite magnitude of velocity?

    Ideas?
  22. R

    Help with magnitude of net force

    Homework Statement A 1700kg car drives around a flat 220m -diameter circular track at 24m/s . Homework Equations What is the magnitude of the net force on the car? The Attempt at a Solution 1700 * (24^2)/(110^2) i got 80.92561983 round to two sig-figs so 81 and idk why
  23. G

    Magnitude of Momentum, relative to the center of mass

    Homework Statement A 4.39 g particle is moving at 4.15 m/s toward a stationary 9.64 g particle. (a)With what speed does the heavier particle approach the center of mass of the two particles? Answer in units of m/s. (b) What is the magnitude of the momentum of the lighter particle...
  24. B

    Calculate magnitude and direction of mass's acceleration.

    Homework Statement Question: "A block of 2kg mass is hanging from a spring with stiffness K=70N/m. The spring has an unstretched length of 30cm. The mass oscillates vertically under the influence of the spring and gravity. Calculate the magnitude and direction of the mass's acceleration when...
  25. W

    Find the magnitude of a force supported by a bearing

    Homework Statement Find the magnitude of the force supported by bearing B if the weight of the assemble is supported entirely by A and there is a 120 Nm couple to the shaft. The plate has mass of 15 kg. The cable from C to D prevents the plate from turning...
  26. N

    Perpendicular Vector with given magnitude

    Homework Statement Given a vector A = 8i − 5j, find the vectors in the xy plane that are perpendicular to A and have a magnitude of 14. The Attempt at a Solution I can find the vector perpendicular to A quite easily. I'm having trouble finding the perpendicular line when it has the...
  27. R

    Magnitude of magnetic field

    Homework Statement A straight piece of wire of mass 0.0050 kg and length 0.600 m lies horizontally and carries an electrical current of I = 0.800 A in the direction E to W . What is the direction and magnitude of the magnetic field required to produce an upward force on the wire that exactly...
  28. J

    Find the magnitude and direction of the force

    Homework Statement A 0.45 T magentic field points due east. Find the magnitude and direction of the force on a +1.0uC charge moving southward at 3.5 m/s? Homework Equations F= qvB Right hand rule The Attempt at a Solution Using right hand rule, direction of the force is up...
  29. S

    Finding the magnitude of net force

    How do you find magnitude of net force given mass, angle, and acceleration? I have a mass of 725 kg, an acceleration of 5.10 m/s squared and an angle of 14.0 degrees. The only equation I'm given is F=M*A but I don't know how to apply it when I have an angle as well.
  30. Y

    Runners Mary & Jane: Relative Velocity Magnitude

    Homework Statement Two soccer players, Mary and Jane, begin running from approximately the same point at the same time. Mary runs in an easterly direction at 3.42 m/s, while Jane takes off in a direction 33.4◦ north of east at 2.27 m/s. What is the magnitude of the velocity of Jane...
  31. B

    What is the magnitude and direction of the resulting force?

    I missed a week of school due to sickness and today was my first day back. While I was gone, the topic my class learned is called "vectors". My teacher gave me an assignment with 25 problems about it that I'm supposed to finish by tomorrow plus I'll be having a test on it in two days but...
  32. N

    2 dimensional motion - calculate magnitude of acceleration

    Homework Statement an automobile manufacturer claims that its product will, starting from rest, travel 0.40 km in 9.0s. What is the magnitude of the constant acceleration required to do this? 2. The attempt at a solution Vi = 0 m/s t = 9.0 s xi = 0 m xf = 400 m xf- xi = Vit +...
  33. K

    Magnitude of voltage across impedance

    Homework Statement The following three impedances are connected in series across a 100-V, 20-kHz supply: (1) a 12-Ω resistor, (2) a coil of 100 μH inductance and 5-Ω resistance and (3) a 390-nF capacitor in series with a 15 Ω resistor. Sketch the circuit diagram, impedance diagram and the...
  34. L

    Magnitude and Light brightness question

    If I see 3 candles at 3 m across compared to 2 candles at 2 m across or 1 candle at 1 m across...does it make a difference in terms of brightness if more candles are seen at greater distances? Is the magnitude of light for all 3 situations the same?
  35. J

    Physics illiterate Finding Magnitude and Direction given displacement vectors

    Homework Statement A grasshopper makes four jumps. The displacement vectors are (1) 24.0 cm, due west; (2) 23.0 cm, 31.0 degrees south of west; (3) 23.0 cm, 33.0 degrees south of east; and (4) 34.0 cm, 46.0 degrees north of east. Find (a) the magnitude and (b) direction of the resultant...
  36. D

    Magnitude of Acceleration without time?

    Homework Statement A speedboat increases its speed uniformly from 50.0 m/s to 80.0 m/s over a distance of 200 m. What is the magnitude of the boat's acceleration if its acceleration was constant? (Note that you can find the acceleration without finding the time first.) Homework...
  37. L

    Reaching Alpha Centauri in 100 Years: Calculating Speed & Magnitude

    Suppose you wanted to reach Alpha Centauri in 100 years. a. How fast would you have to go, in km/hr3 b. How many times faster is the speed you found in (a) than the speeds ofour fastest current spacecraft (around 50,000 km/hr)?
  38. P

    Object moving in equilateral triangle - magnitude of acceleration

    Homework Statement An object moves around a equilateral triangle with a constant speed (magnitude of velocity is constant) of 22.3 m/s. If it moves from the starting to ending point (as shown below) in a time of 12.69 seconds, what is the magnitude of the average acceleration vector in m/s2...
  39. J

    Vector Addition: Calculate Magnitude of Sum

    Homework Statement A vector of magnitude 20 is added to a vector of magnitude 25. The magnitude of this sum might be: a. zero b. 3 c. 12 d. 47 e. 50 Homework Equations c ^2 = a^2 + b^2 The Attempt at a Solution I was not entirely sure on what to do. I tried using the...
  40. B

    Coulomb's Law magnitude problem

    Homework Statement Two point charges are fixed on the y axis: a negative point charge q1 = -24 µC at y1 = +0.20 m and a positive point charge q2 at y2 = +0.37 m. A third point charge q = +9.0 µC is fixed at the origin. The net electrostatic force exerted on the charge q by the other two...
  41. M

    Electric Fields and charges of equal magnitude

    [b]1. Two point charges of equal magnitude are 8.4 cm apart. At the midpoint of the line connecting them, their combined electric field has a magnitude of 45 N/C. Find the magnitude of the charges. [b]2. E=k(q)/r^2 [b]3. I've tried 45= 8.99x10^9(q)/(.084)^2 and got q to equal 35...
  42. JJBladester

    Determine magnitude of force acting on block on inclined plane

    Homework Statement A 20-kg package is at rest on an incline when a force P is applied to it. Determine the magnitude of P if 10s is required for the package to travel 5m up the incline. The static and kinetic coefficients of friction between the package and the incline are both equal to 0.3...
  43. E

    Magnitude of Friction Force Problem

    1. A car with a mass of 1100 kg is being pulled by a tow truck. The tow truck pulls the car to the north with a constant 1200 N force, while a friction force pushes the car towards the south. Starting from rest, the truck pulls the car 60 meters toward the north in 25 seconds. What is the...
  44. I

    Give magnitude and direction of current flow

    Homework Statement Problem 3 Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution 1) Find I and voltage across resistor 5 V=IR 12.6 = I * 5.08 I=2.48 .08*2.48= .1984 12.6-.1984= 12.4 V across battery. So would I and V across the resistor be I=2.48 and V=12.4? 2) Find current I (Forgot to mark...
  45. M

    Change in Magnitude of Accleration due to gravity

    Homework Statement When searching for gold, measurements of g can be used find regions within the Earth where the density is larger than that of normal soil. Such measurements can also be used to find regions in which the density of the Earth is smaller than normal soil; such regions might...
  46. H

    Ordering Vectors by Magnitude: BACDE

    Homework Statement Five vectors are listed below. Select them in order of increasing magnitudes, from shortest to longest. If B is smallest, then A, C, D, and finally E is the largest, enter BACDE (Note: If of equal length, then enter in the order listed.) A) 23i-31j-17k B) 36j+26k C)...
  47. O

    Magnitude vs Direction: Difference & Definition

    What is the difference? I think magnitude is the distance from x right? But what is distance? total length traveled?
  48. L

    Show magnitude of velocity vector in polar coordinates

    Homework Statement In Cartesian coordinates the magnitude of the velocity vector squared is |v|^2=V*V= Vx^2 +Vy^2 =(dx/dt)^2+(dy/dt)^2 Show that in polar coordinated |v|^2= Vr^2 +V@ ^2 Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution Not really sure what the question is asking me to...
  49. A

    Finding Magnitude of F - Vector E & Vector F Homework

    Homework Statement Let vector E = (10 i + 1 j) and vector F = (5 i - 5 j). Find the magnitude of F Homework Equations I thought it would just be 5^2 - 5^2 which equals 25-25, all square rooted. The Attempt at a Solution I keep getting 0 but it's not right. Help?
  50. M

    Proving Magnitude of Position Vector for Centre of Mass

    Homework Statement Prove that the magnitude R of the position vector for the centre of mass from an arbitrary origin is given by the equation M2R2 = M\summiri2 - (1/2)\summimjrij2 Homework Equations F = MR'' F = p' p = \summjrj' The Attempt at a Solution I'm not...
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