4 ms·

> an order of magnitude better off topic, but i wonder why that phrase gets used rather than 10x which is much shorter.

by jjtheblunt 1y ago

Scene_Cast2 1y ago
10x is too precise.
fkyoureadthedoc 1y ago
- sounds cooler - 10x is a meme - what if it's 12x better
refulgentis 1y ago
"10x" has been cheapened / heard enough / de facto, is a more general statement than a literal interpretation would indicate. (i.e. 10x engineer. Don't hear that much around these parts these days) Order of magnitude faces less of that baggage, until it does :)
- psunavy03 1y ago
  Would you say it faces . . . orders of magnitude less baggage?
bxparks 1y ago
I think of "an order of magnitude" as a log scale. It means somewhere between 3.16X and 31.6X.
- jjtheblunt 1y ago
  yeah that's what i meant with 10x, like it's +1 on the exponent, if base is 10. but i'm guessing what others are thinking, hence the question.
  - bxparks 1y ago
    The problem is that 10x appears to be a linear scale. It could mean 9.5x to 10.5x if it's supposed to have 2 significant digits. Or it could be 5x to 15x if it meant to have 1 significant digit.
    - jjtheblunt 1y ago
      good point
screye 1y ago
It's meant to signify a step change. Order of magnitude change = no amount of incremental changes would make up for it. In common conversation, the multiplier can vary from 2x - 10x. In context of some algorithms, order of magnitudes can be over the delta rather than absolutes. eg: an algorithms sees 1.1x improvement over the previous 10 years. A change that shows a 1.1x improvement by itself, overshadows an an order-of-magnitude more effort. For salaries, I've used order-of-magnitude to mean 2x. Good way to show a step change in a person's perceived value in the market.
neutronicus 1y ago
5x faster is an order of magnitude bc of rounding
chuckadams 1y ago
Because "magnitude" has cool gravitas, something in how it's pronounced. And it's not meant to be precise, it just means "a whole lot more".
BeetleB 1y ago
Short answer: Because the base may not be 10. Long answer: Because if you put a number, people expect it to be accurate. If it was 6x faster, and you said 10x, people may call you out on it.
bmacho 1y ago
Because it's not 10x?

> an order of magnitude better off topic, but i wonder why that phrase gets used rather than 10x which is much shorter.

Scene_Cast2 1y ago

10x is too precise.

fkyoureadthedoc 1y ago

- sounds cooler - 10x is a meme - what if it's 12x better

refulgentis 1y ago

"10x" has been cheapened / heard enough / de facto, is a more general statement than a literal interpretation would indicate. (i.e. 10x engineer. Don't hear that much around these parts these days) Order of magnitude faces less of that baggage, until it does :)

psunavy03 1y ago
Would you say it faces . . . orders of magnitude less baggage?

bxparks 1y ago

I think of "an order of magnitude" as a log scale. It means somewhere between 3.16X and 31.6X.

jjtheblunt 1y ago
yeah that's what i meant with 10x, like it's +1 on the exponent, if base is 10. but i'm guessing what others are thinking, hence the question.
- bxparks 1y ago
  The problem is that 10x appears to be a linear scale. It could mean 9.5x to 10.5x if it's supposed to have 2 significant digits. Or it could be 5x to 15x if it meant to have 1 significant digit.
  - jjtheblunt 1y ago
    good point

screye 1y ago

It's meant to signify a step change. Order of magnitude change = no amount of incremental changes would make up for it. In common conversation, the multiplier can vary from 2x - 10x. In context of some algorithms, order of magnitudes can be over the delta rather than absolutes. eg: an algorithms sees 1.1x improvement over the previous 10 years. A change that shows a 1.1x improvement by itself, overshadows an an order-of-magnitude more effort. For salaries, I've used order-of-magnitude to mean 2x. Good way to show a step change in a person's perceived value in the market.

neutronicus 1y ago

5x faster is an order of magnitude bc of rounding

chuckadams 1y ago

Because "magnitude" has cool gravitas, something in how it's pronounced. And it's not meant to be precise, it just means "a whole lot more".

BeetleB 1y ago

Short answer: Because the base may not be 10. Long answer: Because if you put a number, people expect it to be accurate. If it was 6x faster, and you said 10x, people may call you out on it.

bmacho 1y ago

Because it's not 10x?