order of magnitude

• Why do scientists use the concept of order of magnitude?

  To compare the approximate sizes of different objects
• How many millimeters are in a meter?

  1,000 millimeters
• What does it mean when two objects are said to be around the same order of magnitude?

  • They are approximately the same size
  • Example: An apple and an orange
• How much larger is a pineapple compared to a small lemon in terms of order of magnitude?

  A pineapple is one order of magnitude larger than a lemon
• How many times larger is a dog compared to a woodlouse?

  A dog is around 100 times longer than a woodlouse
• How many orders of magnitude longer is a dog than a woodlouse?

  A dog is two orders of magnitude longer than a woodlouse
• How can you determine the order of magnitude by counting zeros?

  • Each order of magnitude is 10 times greater
  • Count the number of zeros:
  • 10 = 1 order
  • 100 = 2 orders
  • 1,000 = 3 orders
• If a fox is 40 cm long and a tick is 0.4 cm long, how many times longer is the fox than the tick?

  The fox is 100 times longer than the tick
• How do you calculate the order of magnitude from the fox and tick example?

  By dividing 40 by 0.4
• How many zeros are counted to determine the order of magnitude in the fox and tick example?

  Two zeros
• What is the conclusion about the fox's length compared to the tick's length?

  The fox is two orders of magnitude longer than the tick
• What skills should you have by the end of the video regarding order of magnitude?

  • Describe what order of magnitude means
  • Carry out order of magnitude calculations