| Prefix | Symbol | Meaning |
| nano | n | 10 -9 |
| pico | p | 10 -12 |
| femto | f | 10 -15 |
| atto | a | 10 -18 |
What is a metric prefix?
Metric system prefixes provide a simple way to understand exactly what each unit of measurement stands for in the metric system, since the prefixes tell you how much bigger a unit is than the base unit. Take a look at the most commonly used metric prefixes for length, mass, volume, and time.
What is the difference between prefixes and prefix symbols?
The prefixes of the International System are used to name the multiples and submultiples of any SI unit, whether they are basic or derived units. These prefixes are prepended to the name of the unit to indicate the decimal multiple or sub-multiple of the same. Likewise, prefix symbols are prepended to unit symbols.
What is the symbol for units of measure in prefixes?
Each prefix name has a symbol that is used in combination with the symbols for units of measure. For example, the symbol for 'kilo-' is 'k', and is used to produce 'km', 'kg', and 'kW', which are the SI symbols for kilometre, kilogram, and kilowatt, respectively. Where the Greek letter 'μ' is unavailable,...
What is the origin of the prefix F?
^ a b c d e f g h Part of the beginning of the prefix was modified from the word it was derived from, ex: "peta" (prefix) vs "penta" (derived word). ^ The fermi was introduced earlier with the same symbol "fm", in which then the "f" became a prefix.
What are the 7 metric prefixes?
ShareIn the SI, designations of multiples and subdivision of any unit may be arrived at by combining with the name of the unit the prefixes deka, hecto, and kilo meaning, respectively, 10, 100, and 1000, and deci, centi, and milli, meaning, respectively, one-tenth, one-hundredth, and one-thousandth. ... Prefix Progress.More items...
What is the unit symbol of F?
The farad (symbol: F) is the SI derived unit of electrical capacitance, the ability of a body to store an electrical charge. It is named after the English physicist Michael Faraday (1791-1867)....FaradUnit ofCapacitanceSymbolFNamed afterMichael FaradayDerivation1 F = 1 C/V = 1 s/Ω7 more rows
What is the prefix for metric?
Metric prefixes tableprefixsymboldecimal numberdecada10hectoh100kilok1,000megaM1,000,00017 more rows
What is the prefix for 10-12?
picoThe 20 SI PrefixesMultipleAmountPrefix10-91 thousandth of a millionthnano10-121 millionth of a millionthpico10-151 thousandth of a millionth of a millionthfemto10-181 millionth of a millionth of a millionthatto17 more rows
What prefix is F?
femtoTable 5. SI prefixesFactorNameSymbol10-15femtof10-18attoa10-21zeptoz10-24yoctoy6 more rows
What is farad equal to?
Farad (F): The SI unit for Capacitance (C). One Farad equals a capacitor that has a Coulomb (1 C) of charge on it with a voltage separation of a Volt (1 V). Henry (H): The SI unit for inductance.
Is meter a metric prefix?
Conversions between metric system units are straightforward because the system is based on powers of ten. For example, meters, centimeters, and millimeters are all metric units of length.
What is the metric prefix for 10?
deka daMetric PrefixesPrefixUnit Abbrev.MeaningmegaM1,000,000kilok1000hectoh100dekada108 more rows•Aug 24, 2020
What is the metric prefix for 10 4?
Metric Prefixes & ConversionPrefixSymbolMultiply bydecid10-1centic10-2millim10-3decimillidm10-421 more rows
What is the metric prefix for 10 11?
pico-Metric and SI Unit Prefixesyotta- (Y-)102419th General Conference, 1991pico- (p-)10-1211th General Conference, 1960femto- (f-)10-1512th General Conference, 1964atto- (a-)10-1812th General Conference, 1964zepto- (z-)10-2119th General Conference, 199115 more rows
What are 10 prefixes?
SI Prefixes and Symbols Used to Denote Powers of 10PrefixMultipleSymboldeca10dadeci10-1dcenti10-2cmilli10-3m19 more rows
What is prefix deci?
deci- prefix. denoting one tenth; 10 –1decimetre Symbol: d.
What is a prefix in metric units?
Metric system prefixes come before a basic unit of measure to indicate a multiple (or submultiple) of that unit. Basic metric units and what they measure include: Prefixes are added as place values are added. For example, adding kilo- to the unit “meter” makes “kilometer,” or one thousand meters.
What do prefixes mean in metric?
Metric system prefixes provide a simple way to understand exactly what each unit of measurement stands for in the metric system , since the prefixes tell you how much bigger a unit is than the base unit. Take a look at the most commonly used metric prefixes for length, mass, volume, and time.
What is the prefix for mass?
Metric Prefixes for Mass. Measurements of mass tell you how much matter an object contains. The basic unit for weight is grams, and it ranges from a metric ton to a tiny milligram. Here are the prefixes for metric measurements of mass. Metric Prefix. Place Value Definition. Usage for Mass. milli-. 0.001.
What prefix is used to describe length?
Metric Prefixes for Length. When you’re measuring how long something is with the metric system, you use meters. Here are the prefixes most commonly used with the word “meter” to describe length. Metric Prefix. Place Value Definition. Usage for Length. milli-.
What does "millimeter" mean in a prefix?
But adding milli- to “meter” creates “millimeter,” which means one thousandth of a meter.
How is the metric system organized?
The metric system provides a logical way to organize numbers and mathematical thinking. The system is organized by giving names to each order of magnitude; that is, every time zeros are added to the place value (ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, etc.), metric system prefixes are used to indicate the value. Take a look at the most common metric ...
What is a metric prefix?
A metric prefix is a unit prefix that precedes a basic unit of measure to indicate a multiple or submultiple of the unit. All metric prefixes used today are decadic. Each prefix has a unique symbol that is prepended to any unit symbol. The prefix kilo-, for example, may be added to gram to indicate multiplication by one thousand: one kilogram is equal to one thousand grams. The prefix milli-, likewise, may be added to metre to indicate division by one thousand; one millimetre is equal to one thousandth of a metre.
When were prefixes used in the metric system?
The use of prefixes can be traced back to the introduction of the metric system in the 1790s, long before the 1960 introduction of the SI. The prefixes, including those introduced after 1960, are used with any metric unit, whether officially included in the SI or not (e.g., millidynes and milligauss).
What prefix is used for year?
In astronomy, geology, and paleontology, the year, with symbol a (from the Latin annus ), is commonly used with metric prefixes: ka, Ma, and Ga.
What is the prefix for a power of one thousand?
Hence 100 m is preferred over 1 hm (hectometre) or 10 dam (decametres). The prefixes deci-, and centi- , and less frequently hecto- and deca-, are commonly used for everyday purposes, and the centimetre (cm) is especially common.
What is the SI unit of time?
Prefixes for the SI standard unit second are most commonly encountered for quantities less than one second. For larger quantities, the system of minutes (60 seconds), hours (60 minutes) and days (24 hours) is accepted for use with the SI and more commonly used. When speaking of spans of time, the length of the day is usually standardized to 86 400 seconds so as not to create issues with the irregular leap second .
What is the meaning of the prefix "kilobyte"?
Pronunciation. When a metric prefix is affixed to a root word, the prefix carries the stress, while the root drops its stress but retains a full vowel in the syllable that is stressed when the root word stands alone. For example, kilobyte is / ˈkɪlɒbaɪt /, with stress on the first syllable.
When were decimal prefixes introduced?
Decimal multiplicative prefixes have been a feature of all forms of the metric system, with six of these dating back to the system's introduction in the 1790s. Metric prefixes have also been used with some non-metric units.
What is the purpose of the metric prefix?
Metric Prefix. The prefixes of the International System are used to name the multiples and submultiples of any SI unit, whether they are basic or derived unit s. These prefixes are prepended to the name of the unit to indicate the decimal multiple or sub-multiple of the same.
What prefix is 0.1 nm?
In the second half of the twentieth century, it was therefore decided to expand the list of standard prefixes and only allow these prefixes. The micron thus became micrometer (µm) and the angstrom became 0.1 nm. By analogy, it is now also possible to make microjoules and micronewton.
What is the prefix for z?
Zepto (symbol: 'z') is a prefix of the SI units denoting a factor of 10 −21 or 1/1000000000000000000000. It was incorporated into the system in 1991 by the XIX General Conference on Weights and Measures. Zepto comes from the French word 'sept' and Latin word 'septem', meaning '7', since a zepto is equal to 1000 -7.
What does octo mean in metric?
octo- (international symbol: y) - A standard unit prefix in the International System of Units (SI), meaning a factor of 10 −24 or 0.000000000000000000000001. It is used together with metric and some other units. As a prefix, yocto was adopted by the XIX General Conference on Weights and Measures in 1991.
Why are prefixes important?
This is important because a symbol consists of only a few letters: a small spelling difference results in a different symbol .
What are the prefixes in Dutch?
In Dutch, fully written prefixes and units begin with a lowercase letter (except at the beginning of a sentence): picofarad, milligrams, centimeters, kilovolts, megabytes, gigawatts, volts, amps. Other rules may apply in other languages, including German. The prefix and unit are written together as one word.
Prefixes
This table shows the most commonly used SI prefixes. For a complete list of SI prefixes, including their origins, see SI prefixes and their etymologies.
Usage
Although unit names are ordinary words, note that unit symbols are just that (symbols) and not abbreviations. They
Conversion factors
This table gives easily remembered, approximate conversion factors for some common units, as well as more precise factors. Boldfaced values are exact. But remember, estimated values don’t warrant precise conversions. If “it was about 100 yards away”, then it was about 100 metres away.
Overview
A metric prefix is a unit prefix that precedes a basic unit of measure to indicate a multiple or submultiple of the unit. All metric prefixes used today are decadic. Each prefix has a unique symbol that is prepended to any unit symbol. The prefix kilo-, for example, may be added to gram to indicate multiplication by one thousand: one kilogram is equal to one thousand grams. The prefix milli-, likewise, may be added to metre to indicate division by one thousand; one millimetre is eq…
List of SI prefixes
The BIPM specifies twenty prefixes for the International System of Units (SI).
Each prefix name has a symbol that is used in combination with the symbols for units of measure. For example, the symbol for kilo- is k, and is used to produce km, kg, and kW, which are the SI symbols for kilometre, kilogram, and kilowatt, respectively. Except for the early prefixes of kilo-, hecto-, and deca-, the symbols for the multiplicative prefixes are uppercase letters, and those fo…
Application to units of measurement
The use of prefixes can be traced back to the introduction of the metric system in the 1790s, long before the 1960 introduction of the SI. The prefixes, including those introduced after 1960, are used with any metric unit, whether officially included in the SI or not (e.g., millidynes and milligauss). Metric prefixes may also be used with non-metric units.
The choice of prefixes with a given unit is usually dictated by convenience of use. Unit prefixes f…
Presentation
When a metric prefix is affixed to a root word, the prefix carries the stress, while the root drops its stress but retains a full vowel in the syllable that is stressed when the root word stands alone. For example, kilobyte is /ˈkɪlɒbaɪt/, with stress on the first syllable. However, units in common use outside the scientific community may be stressed idiosyncratically. In English-speaking countries, kilometre is the most conspicuous example. It is often pronounced /kɪˈlɒmɪtər/, with reduced vo…
Non-standard prefixes
Some of the prefixes formerly used in the metric system have fallen into disuse and were not adopted into the SI. The decimal prefix for ten thousand, myria- (sometimes spelled myrio-), and the prefixes double- (2×) and demi- (1/2×) were parts of the original metric system adopted by France in 1795, but were not retained when the SI prefixes were internationally adopted by the 11th CGPM c…
Similar symbols and abbreviations
In written English, the symbol K is often used informally to indicate a multiple of thousand in many contexts. For example, one may talk of a 40K salary (40000), or call the Year 2000 problem the Y2K problem. In these cases, an uppercase K is often used with an implied unit (although it could then be confused with the symbol for the kelvin temperature unit if the context is unclear). This informal postfix is read or spoken as "thousand" or "grand", or just "k".
See also
• Engineering notation
• E1 series (preferred numbers)
• Indian numbering system
• International vocabulary of metrology
External links
• International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM)
• SI prefixes at BIPM
• US NIST Definitions of the SI units: The twenty SI prefixes
• US NIST Definitions of the SI units: The binary prefixes