The size of a value using approximate factors of 10.
Examples:
• the order of magnitude of 12 is 1 because it is around 10 in size.
• the order of magnitude of 170 is 2 because it is around 100 in size.
• a kilometer (1000 meters) is three orders of magnitude greater than a meter.
Can also be used to mean "very much" bigger or smaller.
Example: "Sam's tennis game is an order of magnitude better this year"
Below are examples of the order of magnitude of lengths:
See: Scientific Notation