Nanometre

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== Nanometre ==

A nanometre (international spelling as used by the SI) or nanometer (American spelling) is a unit of length in the metric system, equal to one billionth of a metre (0.000000001 m). The symbol for nanometre is nm.

Definition

One nanometre is defined as 1×10^−9 metres. It is a common unit of measurement in the fields of nanotechnology, physics, chemistry, and biology.

Applications

Nanometres are used to measure things that are extremely small. For example:

• The wavelengths of ultraviolet, visible, and infrared light are often measured in nanometres.
• The diameter of DNA molecules is about 2.5 nm.
• The size of transistors in modern microprocessors is measured in nanometres.

History

The term "nanometre" combines the Greek word "nanos" (meaning "dwarf") with the metric unit "metre". The nanometre was officially recognized as a unit of length in 1960 when the SI was established.

Related Units

• Micrometre (µm) - 1 µm = 1,000 nm
• Picometre (pm) - 1 pm = 0.001 nm
• Angstrom (Å) - 1 Å = 0.1 nm

See Also

• Nanotechnology
• Nanoparticle
• Nanomaterials
• Quantum dot
• Scanning tunneling microscope
• Atomic force microscope