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 0.000000001. It is frequently encountered in science and electronics for prefixing units of time and length.

Examples
  • Three gold atoms lined up are about one nanometer (nm) long.
  • If a toy marble were scaled down to one nanometer wide, Earth would scale to about 1 meter (3.3 ft) wide.
  • One nanosecond (ns) is about the time required for light to travel 30 cm in air, or 20 cm in an optical fiber.
  • One nanometer per second (nm/s) is approximately the speed that a fingernail grows.

The prefix derives from the Greek νᾶνος (Latin nanus), 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).

PrefixBase 10 Decimal Adoption
NameSymbol
quettaQ1030 10000000000000000000000000000002022
ronnaR1027 1000000000000000000000000000
yottaY1024 10000000000000000000000001991
zettaZ1021 1000000000000000000000
exaE1018 10000000000000000001975
petaP1015 1000000000000000
teraT1012 10000000000001960
gigaG109 1000000000
megaM106 10000001873
kilok103 10001795
hectoh102100
decada10110
1001
decid10−1 0.11795
centic10−2 0.01
millim10−3 0.001
microμ10−6 0.0000011873
nanon10−9 0.0000000011960
picop10−12 0.000000000001
femtof10−15 0.0000000000000011964
attoa10−18 0.000000000000000001
zeptoz10−21 0.0000000000000000000011991
yoctoy10−24 0.000000000000000000000001
rontor10−27 0.0000000000000000000000000012022
quectoq10−30 0.000000000000000000000000000001
Notes
  1. Prefixes adopted before 1960 already existed before SI. The introduction of the CGS system was in 1873.
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