Scale, Units, and Orders of Magnitude

These flashcards cover essential vocabulary concepts related to the scale, units, and orders of magnitude discussed in the lecture.

Scientific Notation

A method of expressing very large or very small numbers using a coefficient and an exponent.

Coefficient

In scientific notation, the number between 1 and 10.

Exponent

The power to which 10 is raised in scientific notation, indicating how many times to multiply or divide.

Order of Magnitude

A way to simplify very large or small numbers by expressing them in powers of 10.

Conversion Ratio

A relationship between two different units that allows for the conversion from one unit to another.

Kilometer (km)

A unit of length equal to 1,000 meters.

Astronomical Unit (AU)

The average distance between the Earth and the Sun, approximately 149.6 million kilometers.

Parsec (pc)

A unit of distance used in astronomy, equal to approximately 3.26 light-years.

Light-Year (ly)

The distance that light travels in one year, approximately 9.46 trillion kilometers.

Magnitude

The size or extent of a physical quantity.