What is Magnitude in Physics?
Magnitude in Physics is a fundamental term in science. Magnitude refers to the general quantity or distance. Concerning the aspects of movement, we can correlate magnitude along with the size and speed of an object while it is in motion.
The size of the object or the amount is the magnitude of that particular object. For example, when you consider speed, if a car is traveling faster than an adjacent motorcycle, the magnitude of the speed of the car is greater in comparison to the speed of the motorcycle.
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What Is Magnitude In Physics Is Reference To Scalar Quantity?
We all know three are two types of quantity ie vector quantity and scalar quantity. Magnitude is a common factor for both of two quantities.
In the case of scalar quantities, the magnitude is specific and has a proper unit.
Some of the scalar quantities are the mass of an object, the time of an event, the temperature of a certain object, and the distance between two fixed points.
Suppose we combine the magnitudes of several objects with the ordinary rules of the algebra of having the same unit.
In that case, we can easily add, subtract, divide, and multiply the magnitudes of scalar quantities like any regular number.
For example, if we have three sides of a triangle, 12m, 9m, and 4m. The perimeter of the triangle is the sum of all the sides – 12m+9m+4m=25m. In this case, we add just the magnitudes, but the unit remains the same.
Similarly, if we can find the temperature difference between two bodies, we simply subtract the magnitude, and the unit (Kelvin, Celsius, or Fahrenheit) remains the same.
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How to calculate the Magnitude of a Vector?
Vector quantities also have magnitude but come with directions.
Some of the vector quantities are displacement, acceleration, velocity, force, and many more.
The magnitude of a vector can be called its absolute value.
In the case of vectors, two or more vectors can only be equal if they have the same magnitude and direction.
If the vector is multiplied with a positive integer, the magnitude of a vector changes while its direction will remain constant.
Similarly, we multiply any vector with a negative integer, the direction, and magnitude of the vector change.
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What is magnitude in Physics in the case of Earthquakes?
A tremendous amount of energy is released during an earthquake and results in the formation of seismic waves.
These waves travel in all directions, causing destructive vibrations.
The magnitude of an earthquake provides the necessary information, which can help calculate the probabilities in time to come.
Magnitude is the quantitative value for seismic waves formed by an earthquake.
The scale that measures earthquakes is called a Richter scale.
It is a logarithmic scale in which the magnitude increases ten times with each increase in the number.
