Micrometre
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For the measuring instrument, see Micrometer.
"Micron" redirects here. For other uses, see Micron (disambiguation).
Microscale redirects here. For the field of meteorology see Microscale meteorology, or for chemistry Microscale chemistry.
| SI units | |
|---|---|
| 1.000×10−6 m | 1.0000 μm |
| US customary / Imperial units | |
| 3.281×10−6 ft | 39.37×10−6 in |
A micrometre or micron (American spelling:[1] micrometer; symbol µm) is one millionth of a metre, or equivalently one thousandth of a millimetre or one thousand nanometres. It can also be written in scientific notation as 1×10−6 m, meaning 1⁄1000000 m.
A strand of human hair is about 100 µm wide.[2] Red blood cells are approx. 8 µm in diameter.[2]
The micrometre is a common unit of measurement for wavelengths of infrared radiation. The name micron and the solitary symbol µ (both of which were official between 1879 and 1967 [3]) are still used (especially in astronomy and in the semiconductor industry) to denote a micrometre.
[edit] See also
- 1 micrometre (for a comparative description of the micrometre in the context of other orders of magnitude)
- SI
- Metric system
- Orders of magnitude
[edit] References
- ^ NOTE: The American spelling of "micrometer" is rarely used (micron is typically used instead), due to the existence of a measuring device of the same name.
- ^ a b DNA From The Beginning, section 6: Genes are real things., "Amination" section, final slide
- ^ BIPM - Resolution 7 of the 13th CGPM (1967/68), "Abrogation of earlier decisions (micron, new candle)".
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