AQA GCSE Biology · 8461
Specification 4.1.1.1 · Paper 1
Revise: Eukaryotes and ProkaryotesAn order of magnitude is a factor of 10. To compare two sizes, first put them in the same unit and then divide the larger measurement by the smaller.
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GCSE Biology · key term
A tenfold difference in size or quantity; two orders of magnitude represent a factor of .
Used by AQA, Edexcel and OCR
Specification 4.1.1.1 · Paper 1
Revise: Eukaryotes and ProkaryotesAn order of magnitude is a factor of 10. To compare two sizes, first put them in the same unit and then divide the larger measurement by the smaller.
Specification 1.4 · Paper 1, Paper 2
The power of ten that best describes the approximate size of a value.
Revise: Number, Size and ScaleValues in the same order of magnitude have broadly similar scales; a change of one order of magnitude means a factor of about ten. An order-of-magnitude check is also useful for detecting an implausible answer caused by a misplaced decimal point or an incorrect unit.
Paper 1 (Foundation), Paper 2 (Foundation), Paper 3 (Higher), Paper 4 (Higher)
A tenfold difference in size; for example, is one order of magnitude greater than .
Revise: Scale and Calculations“Rounding makes the calculation quicker and gives a value close enough to check the order of magnitude” explains why an estimate is useful. An estimate should not be presented as more precise than the evidence allows.
The scale of a quantity expressed using a power of ten; a change of one order of magnitude represents a factor of ten.
Check the order of magnitude of a result. A power-of-ten or unit error can make an answer thousands or millions of times too large or small.
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