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magnitude

noun

  1. logarithmic measure of the brightness of a celestial object, in astronomy
  2. general quantity
  3. earthquake measurement
  4. length of vector or complex number
L46138 on Wikidata ↗

Wiktionary

Pronunciation: /ˈmæɡnɪtjuːd/ / /ˈmæɡnɪt͡ʃuːd/ / /ˈmæɡnɪtuːd/

noun

Etymology: From Latin magnitūdō (“greatness, size”), magnus + -tūdō.

  1. The absolute or relative size, extent or importance of something.

    And on a programme of works of this magnitude, passengers will need to be mindful of the age-old maxim of 'no gain without pain'.

  2. An order of magnitude.
  3. A number, assigned to something, such that it may be compared to others numerically
  4. Of a vector, the norm, most commonly, the two-norm.
  5. A logarithmic scale of brightness defined so that a difference of 5 magnitudes is a factor of 100.
  6. A logarithmic scale of brightness defined so that a difference of 5 magnitudes is a factor of 100.

    Observations in the infrared domain allow one to penetrate the ~25-30 magnitudes of extinction present at visible wavelengths.

  7. A measure of the energy released by an earthquake (e.g. on the Richter scale).