A micrometer is a unit of length used to measure small objects such as cells or infrared radiation. The human eye can see objects 50 micrometers in diameter, while a human hair is 80 micrometers wide. Living cells and cobwebs have dimensions in the micrometer range. Infrared light, which carries heat energy, falls in the micrometer range and is invisible to most animals. The smallest electric motor ever built was 1/5th of a micrometer per side. Microfluidic channels are routinely constructed with dimensions in this range.
A micrometer, or one-millionth of a meter, is a unit of length commonly used to measure objects such as cells or the wavelength of infrared radiation. The abbreviation is µm and the unit is also often referred to as a micron or micrometre. The limits of visual acuity for the human eye are often cited as objects 50 micrometres in diameter, about the size of a speck of dust. The average width of a human hair is 80 micrometres.
The constituent elements of every living being, the cell, have dimensions of the order of micrometres. A typical bacterial cell is 1-10 micrometers wide, while a red blood cell is 6-8 micrometers in diameter. A thread of cobweb has an average width of 4-5 micrometers. Typical eukaryotic (non-bacterial) cells are 7 micrometers in diameter.
The wavelength of visible light lies just below the micrometre level. Visible light has wavelengths between approximately 380 nanometers and 740 nanometers. A nanometer is one thousandth of a micrometer.
Light with wavelengths in the micrometer range falls in the infrared portion of the spectrum. Infrared light carries heat energy and is released by the Sun in all directions in large quantities. This frequency is invisible to most animals, the pit viper, rattlesnakes, vampire bats, jewel beetles, and some dark-pigmented butterflies being notable exceptions. The infrared portion of the spectrum contains wavelengths between 750 nanometers and 1 millimeter, spanning five orders of magnitude. Humans radiate their own heat at a wavelength of about 10 micrometres, which can be seen using night vision goggles.
As of 2008, the smallest electric motor ever built was just 1/5th of a micrometer per side. In the field of microfluidics, channels are routinely constructed with dimensions in this range.
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