Magnitude means size, extent, or importance of something. In science, it can refer to the strength of an earthquake or the brightness of a star, measured on a specific scale.
From Latin 'magnitudo,' meaning 'greatness' or 'size,' from 'magnus' meaning 'great' or 'large.' The word has long been used both literally for physical size and figuratively for importance.
On the earthquake scale, each step in magnitude represents about 32 times more energy, so a 7 isn’t just 'a bit worse' than a 6. Our brains like linear scales, but nature often works exponentially, which is why disasters can feel shockingly out of proportion.
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