Nano-

Nano (symbol n) is a unit prefix meaning one billionth. Used primarily with the metric system, this prefix denotes a factor of 10⁻⁹ or . It is frequently encountered in science and electronics for prefixing units of time and length.

The prefix derives from the Greek (Latin ), meaning "dwarf". The General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) officially endorsed the usage of nano as a standard prefix in 1960.

When used as a prefix for something other than a unit of measure (as for example in words like "nanoscience"), nano refers to nanotechnology, or means "on a scale of nanometres" (nanoscale).

Nanometre(Nanometer)

X-rays have a wavelength ranging from the size of 0.01 nm to 10 nm.

Three gold atoms lined up are about one nanometer (nm) long.

Human fingernails grow at approximately one nanometer per second.

Nanosecond

One nanosecond (ns) is about the time required for light to travel 30 cm in air, or 20 cm in an optical fiber.

See also

• RKM code

References

SI prefixes

Prefix		Base 10	Decimal	Adoption
Name	Symbol
quetta	Q	1030		2022
ronna	R	1027
yotta	Y	1024		1991
zetta	Z	1021
exa	E	1018		1975
peta	P	1015
tera	T	1012		1960
giga	G	109
mega	M	106		1873
kilo	k	103		1795
hecto	h	102	100
deca	da	101	10
—	—	100	1	—
deci	d	10−1	0.1	1795
centi	c	10−2	0.01
milli	m	10−3	0.001
micro	μ	10−6		1873
nano	n	10−9		1960
pico	p	10−12
femto	f	10−15		1964
atto	a	10−18
zepto	z	10−21		1991
yocto	y	10−24
ronto	r	10−27		2022
quecto	q	10−30
Notes