What is the order of magnitude of numbers?
Howe defines the order of magnitude as the next lowest power of ten, which is the same (for whole numbers) as the number of digits minus one. The orders of magnitude of numbers are used to make approximate comparison. If two numbers differ by the order of magnitude, one is on average about ten times larger than the other. If they differ by two orders of magnitude, they differ by a factor of about 100. The power of ten is important because it makes us understand the world around us using the concept of a scale. With such understanding we have the ability to comprehend and locate the relative distance of objects in our world. The power of ten enables us to have the perspective of seeing the relative sizes of objects. Also, it gives us a sense of place and the expansion of our thinking in different ways in the world.
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