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Thanks for the link,

though isn't it 5,1x10e0 vs 1,4x10e1 and doesn't that mean it's not the same order of magnitude (I might misunderstand the concept)?

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Are they different by a factor of 10 or more? If not, then they're within an order of magnitude (base-10).

Thanks, this is my definition too!

Not to put too pedantic a spin on ballpark expressions, but the 5 rounds up to 10

I think you don't round up, both have 2 significant digits.

I may be seriously out of date, but "order of magnitude" was (c.1990s, and again, pedantically) the nearest power of 10. This is the way we taught it as well (those estimation problems in the first chapter of your physics text). Conversationally it was used more with a "wild ballpark" meaning. We would say "of the order of 3000" but strictly 3000 was of the order of 1000. 5000 was of the order of 10000. Etc.

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