magnitude

magnitude
Magnitude Mag"ni*tude, n. [L. magnitudo, from magnus great. See {Master}, and cf. {Maxim}.] 1. Extent of dimensions; size; -- applied to things that have length, breadth, and thickness. [1913 Webster]

Conceive those particles of bodies to be so disposed amongst themselves, that the intervals of empty spaces between them may be equal in magnitude to them all. --Sir I. Newton. [1913 Webster]

2. (Geom.) That which has one or more of the three dimensions, length, breadth, and thickness. [1913 Webster]

3. Anything of which greater or less can be predicated, as time, weight, force, and the like. [1913 Webster]

4. Greatness; grandeur. ``With plain, heroic magnitude of mind.'' --Milton. [1913 Webster]

5. Greatness, in reference to influence or effect; importance; as, an affair of magnitude. [1913 Webster]

The magnitude of his designs. --Bp. Horsley. [1913 Webster]

6. (Astron.) See {magnitude of a star}, below. [PJC]

{Apparent magnitude}

1. (Opt.), the angular breadth of an object viewed as measured by the angle which it subtends at the eye of the observer; -- called also {apparent diameter}.

2. (Astron.) Same as {magnitude of a star}, below.

{Magnitude of a star} (Astron.), the rank of a star with respect to brightness. About twenty very bright stars are said to be of first magnitude, the stars of the sixth magnitude being just visible to the naked eye; called also {visual magnitude}, {apparent magnitude}, and simply {magnitude}. Stars observable only in the telescope are classified down to below the twelfth magnitude. The difference in actual brightness between magnitudes is now specified as a factor of 2.512, i.e. the difference in brightness is 100 for stars differing by five magnitudes. [1913 Webster +PJC]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • magnitude — [ maɲityd ] n. f. • 1892; « grandeur, puissance » 1372; lat. magnitudo 1 ♦ Astron. Magnitude apparente : nombre caractéristique du flux de rayonnement reçu d un astre. 2 ♦ Géophys. Magnitude d un séisme : son énergie totale, mesurée selon une… …   Encyclopédie Universelle

  • Magnitude — may refer to: In mathematics: Magnitude (mathematics), the relative size of a mathematical object Magnitude (vector), a term for the size or length of a vector Scalar (mathematics), a quantity defined only by its magnitude Euclidean vector, a… …   Wikipedia

  • Magnitude — Mag ni*tude, n. [L. magnitudo, from magnus great. See {Master}, and cf. {Maxim}.] 1. Extent of dimensions; size; applied to things that have length, breadth, and thickness. [1913 Webster] Conceive those particles of bodies to be so disposed… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • magnitude — [mag′nə to͞od΄, mag′nətyo͞od΄] n. [L magnitudo < magnus, great: see MAGNI ] 1. greatness; specif., a) of size b) of extent c) of importance or influence d) Obs. of character 2 …   English World dictionary

  • Magnitude 10,5 — Données clés Titre original 10.5 Réalisation John Lafia Scénario Christopher Canaan, Ronnie Christensen, John Lafia Pays d’origine États Unis Genre Catastrophe …   Wikipédia en Français

  • magnitude — [n1] importance consequence, degree, eminence, grandeur, greatness, import, mark, moment, momentousness, note, pith, significance, signification, weight, weightiness; concept 668 Ant. insignificance, unimportance magnitude [n2] size admeasurement …   New thesaurus

  • magnitude — I noun amplitude, amplitudo, bearing, concern, consequence, consideration, degree, dimension, effect, eminence, enormity, essentiality, extension, extent, gauge, gravity, immensity, import, importance, magnitudo, mark, materiality, materialness,… …   Law dictionary

  • magnitude — (n.) c.1400, greatness of size or character, from L. magnitudo greatness, bulk, size, from magnus great (see MAGNATE (Cf. magnate)) + tudo, suffix forming abstract nouns from adjectives and participles (see TUDE (Cf. tude)). Meaning size, extent… …   Etymology dictionary

  • magnitude — s. f. 1. Qualidade do que é magno. 2. Importância; grandeza …   Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa

  • magnitude — volume, *size, extent, dimensions, area Analogous words: amplitude, *expanse, stretch, spread: *bulk, mass, volume …   New Dictionary of Synonyms

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