Magnitude vs. Direction — What's the Difference?
Difference Between Magnitude and Direction
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Definitions
Magnitude➦
Greatness of rank or position
"such duties as were expected of a landowner of his magnitude" (Anthony Powell).
Direction➦
A course along which someone or something moves
She set off in the opposite direction
He had a terrible sense of direction
Magnitude➦
Greatness in size or extent
The magnitude of the flood was impossible to comprehend.
Direction➦
The management or guidance of someone or something
Under his direction, the college has developed an international reputation
Magnitude➦
Greatness in significance or influence
Was shocked by the magnitude of the crisis.
Direction➦
The management, supervision, or guidance of a group or operation
The manager's direction of the sales campaign has been highly effective.
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Magnitude➦
The brightness of a celestial body on a numerical scale for which brighter objects have smaller values. Differences in magnitude are based on a logarithmic scale that matches the response of the human eye to differences in brightness so that a decrease of one magnitude represents an increase in apparent brightness by a factor of 2.512. Also called apparent magnitude.
Direction➦
The art or action of directing a musical, theatrical, or cinematic production.
Magnitude➦
A unit on such a scale of brightness.
Direction➦
An authoritative order or command
The supervisor shouted directions to employees in the warehouse.
Magnitude➦
A number assigned to a quantity so that it may be compared with other quantities.
Direction➦
(Music) A word or phrase in a score indicating how a passage is to be played or sung.
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Magnitude➦
A property that can be described by a real number, such as the volume of a sphere or the length of a vector.
Direction➦
Directions Instructions in how to do something or reach a destination
Read the directions before assembling the grill.
Asked for directions in how to get to the lake.
Magnitude➦
(Geology) A measure of the amount of energy released by an earthquake, as indicated on the Richter scale.
Direction➦
The course along which a person or thing is moving or must move to reach a destination
The boat left the bay and sailed in a northerly direction.
Magnitude➦
The absolute or relative size, extent or importance of something.
Direction➦
The point toward which a person or thing faces or is oriented
The twins stood back to back, looking in opposite directions.
Magnitude➦
(countable) An order of magnitude.
Direction➦
A course or line of development; a tendency toward a particular end or goal
Charting a new direction for the company.
Magnitude➦
(mathematics) A number, assigned to something, such that it may be compared to others numerically
Direction➦
A theoretical line (physically or mentally) followed from a point of origin or towards a destination. May be relative (e.g. up, left, outbound, dorsal), geographical (e.g. north), rotational (e.g. clockwise), or with respect to an object or location (e.g. toward Boston).
Keep going in the same direction.
Magnitude➦
(mathematics) Of a vector, the norm, most commonly, the two-norm.
Direction➦
A general trend for future action.
Magnitude➦
(astronomy) A logarithmic scale of brightness defined so that a difference of 5 magnitudes is a factor of 100.
Direction➦
Guidance, instruction.
The trombonist looked to the bandleader for direction.
Magnitude➦
(uncountable) The apparent brightness of a star, with lower magnitudes being brighter; apparent magnitude
Direction➦
The work of the director in cinema or theater; the skill of directing a film, play etc.
The screenplay was good, but the direction was weak.
Magnitude➦
(countable) A ratio of intensity expressed as a logarithm.
Direction➦
(dated) The body of persons who guide or manage a matter; the directorate.
Magnitude➦
(seismology) A measure of the energy released by an earthquake (e.g. on the Richter scale).
Direction➦
(archaic) A person's address.
Magnitude➦
Extent of dimensions; size; - applied to things that have length, breadth, and thickness.
Conceive those particles of bodies to be so disposed amongst themselves, that the intervals of empty spaces between them may be equal in magnitude to them all.
Direction➦
The act of directing, of aiming, regulating, guiding, or ordering; guidance; management; superintendence; administration; as, the direction o public affairs or of a bank.
I do commit his youthTo your direction.
All nature is but art, unknown to thee;ll chance, direction, which thou canst not see.
Magnitude➦
That which has one or more of the three dimensions, length, breadth, and thickness.
Direction➦
That which is imposed by directing; a guiding or authoritative instruction; prescription; order; command; as, he grave directions to the servants.
The princes digged the well . . . by the direction of the law giver.
Magnitude➦
Anything of which greater or less can be predicated, as time, weight, force, and the like.
Direction➦
The name and residence of a person to whom any thing is sent, written upon the thing sent; superscription; address; as, the direction of a letter.
Magnitude➦
Greatness; grandeur.
Direction➦
The line or course upon which anything is moving or aimed to move, or in which anything is lying or pointing; aim; line or point of tendency; direct line or course; as, the ship sailed in a southeasterly direction.
Magnitude➦
Greatness, in reference to influence or effect; importance; as, an affair of magnitude.
The magnitude of his designs.
Direction➦
The body of managers of a corporation or enterprise; board of directors.
Magnitude➦
See magnitude of a star, below.
Direction➦
The pointing of a piece with reference to an imaginary vertical axis; - distinguished from elevation. The direction is given when the plane of sight passes through the object.
Magnitude➦
The property of relative size or extent;
They tried to predict the magnitude of the explosion
Direction➦
A line leading to a place or point;
He looked the other direction
Didn't know the way home
Magnitude➦
A number assigned to the ratio of two quantities; two quantities are of the same order of magnitude if one is less than 10 times as large as the other; the number of magnitudes that the quantities differ is specified to within a power of 10
Direction➦
The spatial relation between something and the course along which it points or moves;
He checked the direction and velocity of the wind
Magnitude➦
Relative importance;
A problem of the first magnitude
Direction➦
A general course along which something has a tendency to develop;
I couldn't follow the direction of his thoughts
His ideals determined the direction of his career
They proposed a new direction for the firm
Direction➦
Something that provides direction or advice as to a decision or course of action
Direction➦
The act of managing something;
He was given overall management of the program
Is the direction of the economy a function of government?
Direction➦
A message describing how something is to be done;
He gave directions faster than she could follow them
Direction➦
The act of setting and holding a course;
A new council was installed under the direction of the king
Direction➦
A formal statement of a command or injunction to do something;
The judge's charge to the jury
Direction➦
The concentration of attention or energy on something;
The focus of activity shifted to molecular biology
He had no direction in his life
