| 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 (American spelling:[1] micrometer; symbol μm; also known unofficially as a "micron") 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.
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
- Wool measurement
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. However, "micron" is not an official SI-unit.
- ^ 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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