Order of magnitude

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

  To compare approximate sizes of 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
• How much larger is a pineapple compared to a small lemon in terms of order of magnitude?

  One order of magnitude larger
• What does one order of magnitude represent in terms of size?

  10 times larger
• How many orders of magnitude is a dog longer than a woodlouse?

  Two orders of magnitude
• How can you determine the order of magnitude by counting zeros?

  Count the number of zeros in the size ratio
• If a fox is 40 cm long and a tick is 0.4 cm long, how do you find how many orders of magnitude the fox is longer than the tick?

  Divide 40 by 0.4
• What is the result of dividing 40 by 0.4?

  100
• How many zeros are in the number 100?

  Two zeros
• What is the relationship between the number of zeros and the order of magnitude?

  Each zero represents one order of magnitude
• What are the steps to carry out order of magnitude calculations?

  1. Identify the sizes of the objects.
  2. Divide the larger size by the smaller size.
  3. Count the number of zeros in the result.
  4. Determine the order of magnitude based on the zeros.