Magnitude Definition and 1000 Threads

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. M

    Displacement Vectors finding magnitude of R and theta

    Homework Statement The displacement vectors A and B, when added together, give the resultant vector R, so that R= A+B . Use the data in the drawing and the fact that = 29° to find the magnitude R of the resultant vector and the angle θ that it makes with the +x axis. I am unsure how to...
  2. C

    What is the magnitude of F required to raise the lamp post?

    Homework Statement In order to raise the lamp post from the position shown, the force on the cable must create a counterclockwise moment of 1500 lb*ft about point A. Determine the magnitude of F that must be applied to the cable. Homework Equations I can find the magnitude of a vector...
  3. C

    Statics: Determine the magnitude of the resultant force

    [b]1. Homework Statement : The Attempt at a Solution I keep attempting this problem and so far I have got this: F1x: 150 F1y:260 F2x:424 F2y:424 F3x:600 F3y:250 Then I add the x's together and y's together, square both and take the square root for magnitude, but can't seem...
  4. E

    Finding magnitude of electric field of a cylinder

    Homework Statement Homework Equations E = 1/4(\pi \epsilon_{0}) * \frac{p}{r^2} The Attempt at a Solution E = 2\pir_{0} \epsilon_{0} = pl/\epsilon_{0} = \frac{pr}{2\pi r_{0} \epsilon_{0}} I am going by what I know about Gauss Law and using a similar format for the Electric field equation for a...
  5. D

    Cross Product Magnitude for Triangle Area

    Homework Statement So I have several problems on my homework which deal with the application of cross product and its magnitude to find areas. I know how to do cross product, and I know how to find the magnitude, however, no matter how many times I try to calculate it, I get the wrong...
  6. A

    How to get a magnitude for polarization force?

    Homework Statement Hello. How do you calculate the magnitude of a polarization force (theoretically)? We just did a lab and have to do the report now. It just involved using a Van Der Graaf generator to charge one sphere and measuring the force it exerts on a neutral sphere . This was done by...
  7. G

    What is Magnitude? Exploring Temperature & Physics

    Alright, I was reading this thread: https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=239733 And I read somewhere that temperature is a scalar quantity with magnitude. But in the thread above, a poster said that a magnitude is always zero or positive. But then again... temperature can also be...
  8. M

    Transfer Function: Magnitude and Phase of Complex Function

    Homework Statement f(s) = f(\sigma + j\omega) = \frac{1}{(1+s)^2} Find the magnitude and phase angle of f(j\omega) Homework Equations s = j\omega is a substitution you can make, but I'm not sure if you are supposed to apply that here The Attempt at a Solution I tried substituting \sigma +...
  9. M

    Electric field magnitude between two charged disks

    Homework Statement Two 10-cm-diameter charged disks face each other, 17 cm apart. The left disk is charged to +40 nC and the right disk is charged to -40 nC. a)What is the electric field, both magnitude and direction, at the midpoint between the two disks? b) What is the force on a -1.0...
  10. Pruddy

    Coulombs Law: magnitude of the force between two point charges

    Homework Statement Determine the magnitude of the force between two point charges, Q1 = -2e located at (-3.60 cm, +4.10 cm) and Q2 = -8e located at (-0.60 cm, -8.60 cm). Give your answer in the form "a.bc x 10^(y) N". Homework Equations F = kq1q2/r2 The Attempt at a...
  11. C

    Find magnitude of a force on a ring.

    Homework Statement http://session.masteringengineering.com/problemAsset/1127430/5/Probs.2-83_84.jpg Refer to image for problem. I have to find the magnitude of the force F3. I'm stuck on where to begin. Homework Equations Don't know. The Attempt at a Solution I've done...
  12. D

    Magnitude of Displacement for Harmonic Oscillator

    Homework Statement A harmonic oscillator has angular frequency ω and amplitude A. What is the magnitude of the displacement when the elastic potential energy is equal to the kinetic energy? (Assume that U = 0 at equilibrium.) Express your answer in terms of the variables ω and A...
  13. U

    Magnitude of moment about axis (Space Truss)

    Homework Statement Determine the magnitude of the moment of the force F about the axis CA of the tripod ABCD, if F = {40i -30j -100k}N. Image attached. 2. The attempt at a solution Based on a similar question I found in the textbook my method to solve this question: Find UCA =...
  14. S

    Order of magnitude problem involving the force of repulsion between two persons

    Homework Statement Homework Equations \vec{F} = k\stackrel{q1q2}{r^{2}} The Attempt at a Solution 6.022e23*(0.505) = 3.041e23C <-- electrons 6.022e23*(0.495) = 2.981e23C <-- protons 3.041e23 - 2.981e23 = 6e21C <-- the difference between the two charges \vec{F}_{e} =...
  15. E

    Determining the magnitude of the magnetic field acting on a particle

    1. *Is my solution correct? Homework Statement A positively charged particle of mass 7.2 X 10^-8 kg is traveling due east with a speed of 85 m/s and enters a 0.31T uniform magnetic field. The particle moves through one-quarter of a circle in 2.2 X 10^3 seconds, at which time it leaves the...
  16. E

    Superposition of Forces: Finding Magnitude and Direction

    Homework Statement http://imgur.com/fvNbE Part a needs to have up to 2 significant figures. For part b. you need to find theta or the degrees counter clockwise from +x direction.Homework Equations Coulombs Law: F = 9(10^9) |q1q2|/r^2 r = distance in meters of two chargesThe Attempt at a...
  17. M

    Magnitude of magnetic flux of a solenoid using Biot-Savart law

    Homework Statement A 10 cm long, 1 cm diameter solenoid contains 500 turns of wire. A current that varies as I = 5Sin(100πt) Amps flows through the solenoid wire. Calculate the magnitude of the magnetic flux at the centre of the solenoid as a function of time using equation (1). Compare this...
  18. B

    Finding individual impedance given the magnitude.

    A 10-H inductor, 200-Ω resistor and a capacitor C are in parallel. find C if the magnitude of the impedance is 125Ω at ω=100rad/s Now i attempted to solve it by first doing the parallel combination of the inductor and the resistor. Then i would do the parallel combo of these with the...
  19. S

    What is the magnitude of the charge?

    Two 1.0g beads are charged equally and placed 50cm apart. When released, they begin to accelerate at 150m/s2. What is the magnitude of the charge on each bead? The equations I used: F = ma F = kQQ / r2 I was just wondering about the mass. Do I have to use the total mass (2.0g) for both...
  20. E

    Static Equilibrium and magnitude

    1.we know that generally, every force systems can be replaced by a resultant force(R) and a couple(M) at a point O. the position of point O is optional. but magnitude and direction of M is dependent to this point while magnitude and direction of R is independent. In static equilibrium R and M...
  21. S

    Finding magnitude of electric field at center of square

    In each situation below, electric charges are arranged at the corner of a square. Each charge Q has the same magnitude with the signs indicated in the diagrams. Rank the electric potential from most positive to most negative, and the magnitude of the electric field at the center of the square...
  22. M

    Calculating the magnitude of displacement

    A car us driven at a velocity of 72km/h EAST for 0.50hr, 48km/h NORTH for 0.25hr, and 62km/h WEST for 0.50hr. Calculate the magnitude of its displacement. Attempt at the solution: Distance = Speed * Time (72 x 0.5) + (48 x 0.25) - (62 x 0.5) = 17km However, the answer in the book...
  23. S

    What is the sign and magnitude of the unknown charge

    From the attached image, the net force on the 1.0mC charge is zero. What is the sign and magnitude of the unknown charge q? Here is what I did: F = k QQ / r2 F = 9.0x109Nm2/C2*(0.002C)*(0.001C) / (0.05m)2 F = 7.2 x 106N Then to look for the unknown charge: F = k QQ / r2 Q = F* r2 / k Q Q =...
  24. D

    Magnitude of current passing through unit area in atmosphere(He2+ and O2-)

    Homework Statement At a high point in the Earth’s atmosphere, He2+ ions in a concentration of 2.8 x 10^12 m^-3 are moving due north at a speed of 2.0x10^6 m/s. Also, a 7.0 x 10^11m^-3 concentration of (O2)- (dioxygen -)ions is moving due south at a speed of 7.2 x 10^6m/s. Determine the...
  25. B

    Magnitude of the charge on the oil drop

    1. An electrically charged macroscopic spherical oil drop of mass M=5.449x10^(-14) kg is released from rest between two electrically charged horizontal plates that produce a uniform electric field magnitude of E=1.667x10^6 N/C that is directed vertically upward. If, after release, the oil drop...
  26. K

    What is the system of angular units used by astronomers of Venus?

    Hello everyone! I just was reading Your questions and was interested in IAO problems. There are only problems without solutions of 2011 year in the net, but i found IAO 2005 problems. So i can not understand how to solve some of them. Like humans, astronomers of venus use the same method...
  27. J

    Magnitude and direction of velocity

    a soccer ball is kicked with an initial speed of 10.2 m/s in a direction 25 degrees above the horizontal. Find the magnitude and direction of its velocity 0.250 seconds and 0.500 seconds after being kicked. Is the ball at its gratest height before or after 0.500 seconds?
  28. S

    Help finding the magnitude of the applied force

    Homework Statement A block of mass 50 kg is free to slide on a frictionless inclined plane that makes an angle of 20° with respect to horizontal. A force F is applied as shown in the drawing pulling parallel to the incline. As a result, the block accelerates up the plane at 4 m/s2. known...
  29. N

    Calculate the magnitude of the net force

    Homework Statement Calculate the magnitude of the net force on an air parcel of mass 1.0x10-3kg which is at a temperature 250K and which is in the US standard atmosphere at an altitude of 4.0km. Take the lapse rate as 6.5K/km and the surface temperature as 288K Homework Equations Force =...
  30. W

    Finding magnitude of new electric fields

    Homework Statement In Fig. 22-31 the four particles are fixed in place and have charges q1 = q2 = 3e, q3 = 2e, and q4 = -10e. Distance d = 5.42 μm. What is the magnitude of the net electric field at point P due to the particles? Homework Equations E=1/(4πε0) x [ q4/2d^2-q3/d^2] j...
  31. M

    Determining magnitude of net force with three parallel wires

    Homework Statement Three parallel wires carry a current of I 1 = 3 A, I 2 = 2 A, and I 3 = 1 A, respectively. They are arranged as shown. If r = 2m and L=5m,what is the magnitude of the net force on the bottom wire? <------------------------- I1 r -------------------------->I2 2r...
  32. S

    What Is the Magnetic Force on a 1-cm Segment of a Current-Carrying Wire?

    A rectangular loop of wire measures 1.0 m by 1.0 cm. If a 7.0-A current flows through the wire, what is the magnitude of the magnetic force on the centermost 1.0-cm segment of the 1.0-m side of the loop? Fm = ILBsin of angle Fm = Magnetic force I= Electric current L= Length of...
  33. F

    Finding the magnitude of the resultant vectors

    I need help on how to solve this Homework Statement Three vectors, expressed in Cartesian coordinates are : S -> x( -3.5), y(+4.5) T -> x(0), y(-6.5) U -> x(+5.5), y(-2.5) what is the magnitude of the resultant vector S + T + U? The answer, according to my answer sheet is 4.9...
  34. G

    Sub Atomic Particle Sizes (Orders of Magnitude related)

    Hello my name is Brendon. I'm a graphic designer currently studying an MA. My major project is based around Eames' Power of 10 film and more recently the Huang twins Scale of the Universe website. I'm trying to reproduce these ideas in print, using folding to represent the orders of...
  35. N

    Calculating Magnitude and Duration of Deceleration in Fall from Bed

    Traumatic brain injury such as concussion results when the head undergoes a very large acceleration. Generally, an acceleration less than 800 m/s2 lasting for any length of time will not cause injury, whereas an acceleration greater than 1000 m/s2 lasting for at least 1 ms will cause injury...
  36. G

    Finding the magnitude of an electric field with 5 charges.

    [b]1. Five charges of 1.00 μC magnitude are placed in a row, each charge being 1.00 m distant from its neighboring charges. If all chargers are positive, what is the magnitude in N/C, of the electric field at the position of charge 4? A) 0 B)2.13x10^-2 C)3.25x10^-3 D)3.25x10^3 E)2.13x10^4...
  37. R

    Magnitude and direction of electric field at point P

    Homework Statement An electric dipole is defined as two point charges separated by distance L. Consider point P with coordinates (x,0). A dipole along the x-axis is separated by distance a from the origin. q- is closer to point P Find: 1) Electrostatic potential due to dipole at point P 2)...
  38. W

    Finding magnitude direction and speed of a plane trip

    Homework Statement A plane flies 425 km east from city A to city B in 40.0 min and then 954 km south from city B to city C in 1.70 h. For the total trip, what are the (a) magnitude (in km) and (b) direction of the plane's displacement, the (c) magnitude (in km/h) and (d) direction of its...
  39. W

    Direction of a vector after I have already found magnitude

    Homework Statement The x component of vector is -16.2 m and the y component is +54.6 m. (a) What is the magnitude of ? (b) What is the angle (in radians) between the direction of and the positive direction of x? Homework Equations magnitude of vector is sqrt of a^2+b^2 direction...
  40. T

    Magnitude of perpindicular vectors

    Homework Statement v = (-4, -2) and need to find alll vectors of magnitude 4 that are perpindicular to v Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution I tried let (x, y) be the vector of interest. -4x -2y = 0 x^2 + y^2 = 16. Is this the right track? If so, how do i...
  41. S

    Magnitude and phase angle of the resistor voltage

    the question is to find the magnitude and phase angle of the resistor voltage in the circuit below : http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/1035/ee204.jpg i want you guy's to check my solution please . thanks .
  42. C

    Estimating the order of magnitude of a ratio of two cross sections

    The question is "Make a simple estimate of the order of magnitude of the ratio of the cross sections (electron,positron->2photons) and (electron,positron->3photons)" Now I know that cross section is proportional to (1/q^4)*(Phase space factor)*(Coupling constant) where q^2 = E^2 - p^2. We are...
  43. A

    The Magnitude of the Poynting Vector

    General question: Is the magnitude of the poynting vector equal to the intensity of an electromagnetic wave? I know that I= average S which makes me think that I cannot simply assume that that their magnitudes are equal!?
  44. G

    Magnitude and Direction of a Magnetic Field at the Circumference of a Disk

    Homework Statement A very thin disk of non-conducting material initially holds a charge QO = +5 μC that decreases with time t as Q(t) = QO e-t/τ where τ = 10 seconds. If the disk has a radius of 0.10 m, what is the magnitude and direction of the magnetic field at the circumference of...
  45. A

    Magnitude and Direction of Induced Current on a wire around a cylindrical volume

    Homework Statement A uniform magnetic field B is confined to a cylindrical volume of radius 0.080m. B is directed into the plane of the paper and is increasing at a constant rate of (delta)B/(delta)t=0.300 T/s. Calculate the magnitude and direction of the current induced in a circular wire...
  46. S

    How to calculate the magnitude of a function?

    Homework Statement I have this function: G(w)=\frac{1}{j\omega\tau+1} I want to find the magnitude Homework Equations S=\alpha+j\beta magnitude(S)=\sqrt{\alpha^{2}+\beta^{2}}[b]3. The Attempt at a Solution [/b What i did was carry out the division, so i got...
  47. A

    Capicatance & magnitude of capacitor

    Homework Statement There's a spherical capacitor, inner radius a and outer radius b, with a filling in between of epoxy, and also connected to battery of voltage V. What is the capacitance? Also, what is magnitude of surface charge density outer shell? Homework Equations For Q1...
  48. S

    LPF Magnitude Slope: Why is it 20dB/Decade?

    Hi I have read that LPF (or HPF) have magnitudes which fall at the rate of 20dB/decade from the corner frequency onwards. Why is it assumed this way although the slope is changing with frequency? Thanks Salil
  49. A

    Magnitude of force within thermally expanding restrained bar

    Homework Statement A steel rod with a length of l = 1.55 m and a cross section of A = 4.52 cm^2 is held fixed at the end points of the rod. What is the size of the force developing inside the steel rod when its temperature is raised by ∆T = 41.0 K? (The coefficient of linear expansion for steel...
  50. Biosyn

    Magnitude and direction of magnetic field

    Homework Statement http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg37/scaled.php?server=37&filename=physicsh.jpg&res=medium Homework Equations B = \frac{μI}{2πr} The Attempt at a Solution B = \frac{μ(12)}{2π(0.4m)} - \frac{μ(12)}{2π(0.1)} B = -1.8 x 10-5I'm not sure if I am doing this correctly, am I...
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