Time units can be broken down into smaller units, including the microsecond, nanosecond, and millisecond. One microsecond equals one millionth of a second and is used in scientific and engineering applications. Specially designed websites can convert seconds to microseconds. Examples of how short these units are include blinking taking approximately 350,000 microseconds and a camera flash lasting 1,000 microseconds. Common uses of these ultra-small time units are evident in radio broadcast frequencies and audible sounds or tones.
Most people understand how units of time can be broken down into smaller units. For example, one hour breaks down into 60 minutes and one minute further breaks down into 60 seconds. However, smaller units also exist and are represented as fractions of a second, including the microsecond, which is one-millionth of a second. In addition to the microsecond, some of these other smaller units include a nanosecond and a millisecond.
Generally used in scientific and engineering applications, one microsecond equals one millionth of a second. In other words, if a second were divided into a million equal parts, each individual part would be what is known as a microsecond. This can sometimes cause confusion due to the fact that another sub-second measurement of time is known as a millisecond. The difference between the microsecond and the millisecond is that the latter is only a thousandth of a second, rather than the millionth of a second of the microsecond.
Specially designed websites can convert seconds to microseconds or vice versa. Most people don’t need such small units of measurement, but if you do, just search online for a microsecond converter or the formula for time unit conversion rates. While most people will never need or use for such a conversion, other than to grasp the concept of such small time units, professionals involved in science or engineering can indeed benefit from such knowledge.
An example that most people can relate to can help explain how short these units of time are. It is common knowledge that blinking takes virtually no time. The average time required for one blink, however, is approximately 350,000 microseconds! Another example, albeit slightly shorter in time, is a standard camera flash. A flash that people see in an instant is actually 1,000 microseconds long, or one millisecond.
Common uses of these ultra-small time units are evident in radio broadcast frequencies or other audible sounds or tones. For example, the cycle time for the 100 kHz frequency is 100 microseconds. Also, the highest frequency audible to the human ear is 20 kHz and takes just 50 microseconds. Still other uses for the microsecond tend to be more complex, such as those used in astronomical calculations, physics and chemistry.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
