The apparent magnitude scale is logarithmic, with each step of 1 magnitude representing a brightness change by a factor of about 2.512. For example, a star with an apparent magnitude of 1 is approximately 2.512 times brighter than a star with a magnitude of 2. This relationship is defined by the formula:
m1 - m2 = -2.5 log10 (I1 / I2)
where m represents the apparent magnitudes and I represents the intensities of the two stars being compared.
